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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27529930">CoSL30: Phantasmagoria</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracophile/pseuds/Dracophile'>Dracophile</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Grimm-The Casebook of Sloane Larson [30]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grimm (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Gore, Canon Rewrite, Case Fic, Curses, F/M, Halloween, Hallucinations, transformations</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 06:33:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,722</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27529930</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracophile/pseuds/Dracophile</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sloane is back, but there's still the problem of her curse. Nick calls in Adalind, Henrietta, and another old acquaintance to try and figure out what to do. Nick is hesitant to leave Sloane alone, but more and more incidents keep cropping up--from lake monsters to human sacrifice to Black Claw planning something on Halloween! In between it all though, Nick is starting to realize just how important Sloane is to his life...</p><p>Contains rewrites of A Reptile Dysfunction and Star-Crossed as well as an original case!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nick Burkhardt/Original Female Character(s), Rosalee Calvert/Monroe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Grimm-The Casebook of Sloane Larson [30]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1061588</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>CoSL30: Phantasmagoria</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <em>“And it was a mixture of baying and bellowing</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>And a drawn-out screeching and a stormy roaring,</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>And in every change in the howling, a challenge was hidden,</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>An appeal and, more than anything, a prayer.</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>And more than anything, the prayer terrified all hearts,</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Because it recalled a human weeping.”</em> </strong>
</p><p>---------------------------</p><p>
  <strong>Phantasmagoria</strong>
</p><p>---------------------------</p><p>Rider Grosvenor was not a man that gave up. He was tenacious to a fault. But he wasn’t stupid either. He’d had a bullet proof vest under his shirt for protection and it kept him from being killed by the Grimm. Sometimes a gun wasn’t the best choice if you wanted to make sure something was dead. But lying down to fake his death and calming down, he realized he was outnumbered. And a battle of numbers could mean defeat even if your skill and tenacity were higher.</p><p>So when he knew they were distracted he managed to get to his feet and get out of there. It made his inner Rißfleisch cringe, and his desire to bag his trophy was still strong. But live to fight another day and all that.</p><p>Getting back to his camp took a little longer than he’d like and he growled when he saw it was still empty. He forgot most of his men were arrested. Damn Renard! He’d hated him when he was a child and he grew into a little prat as well. Getting to the trailer, he pulled off his shirt and then grunted and took off the bullet proof vest. He’d have some bruises but better than wounds he knew. Getting a bottle of bourbon from his cabinet, he sat and drank straight from the bottle. He then went to talk a shower and a nap. There wasn’t much point in getting his men sprung from jail now. Not without a plan. And his chest hurt like hell.</p><p>He woke up when he heard his trailer door open and cracked one eye.</p><p>“Rough Night?”</p><p>Grosvenor turned his head, his eyes turning gold. “The hell are you doing here?”</p><p>Donovan Bosch smiled. “Just checking in.”</p><p>Grosvenor swore in French. “I shouldn’t have joined you lot, you keep “checking in”. I’m a busy man.”</p><p>“Obviously.”</p><p>He glowered and grabbed the bottle of bourbon, taking another swig. “What is it now?”</p><p>“Well, we want to be sure you’re doing alright.” Bosch toed the bullet proof vest with mock sympathy. “Seems you might not be.”</p><p>“A set back,” he spat.</p><p>“Well, we’ve got a job for you.”</p><p>“I’m busy!”</p><p>“With what? Feeling sorry for yourself in your old age?”</p><p>Grosvenor growled and slammed the bottle down. “I would’ve had that beast if it wasn’t for the Grimm! Fils de pute!”</p><p>“I know that mean’s “son of a bitch” and I’ll try not to be insulted by that,” Bosch sneered. “The Grimm wanted the beast too?”</p><p>“Yes, but I don’t think to kill…they seemed to know it,” he said.</p><p>He laughed a little. “Oh, maybe it’s his escaped pet then!”</p><p>“Do Grimms keep animals the size of grizzlies as pets?”</p><p>“Don’t see why not. Probably feeds wesen to it. But regardless, leave it for a bit. You’ll need time to regroup, right?” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded-up packet of papers while ignoring the tiger’s glare. “You like Asia, right?”</p><p>“Not that kind of tiger…”</p><p>“I meant more as it being a place you visit and get your cheap ass gear made.” Grosvenor snarled but he went on. “And have contacts. Indonesia too, right?” He held out the packet and the man took it. “We’re working on a big project, but need something. A plant called the Rosary Pea. It’s native to Indonesia.”</p><p>He quirked a brow. “I know it. It’s also an invasive species here in the US, down south east, especially in Florida.”</p><p>“No kidding? Heh, I forget you’re a smart old guy.” Grosvenor glared in warning and Bosch laughed. “Sorry, just giving you grief. But if you can get this, I think the man in charge might be willing to reward you…”</p><p>Grosvenor sobered and looked at the details. “How much do y’all need?”</p><p>“As much as you can get within a week. The more you get, the better the reward I’m betting. And you can take time to figure out how to deal with the Grimm and your beast.”</p><p>“…Fine,” he sighed. “I’ll need to deal with some things here first though.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, we’re already helping with that. But you should lay low away from the city a bit. I don’t think you won anyone over firing in the city proper.”</p><p>He smiled. “What can I say? When I hunt, the prey is all I think about.”</p><p>Bosch laughed a little as he headed for the trailer door. “Man, you sound like one of those old-timey explorers. You were born in the wrong time, man.”</p><p>Grosvenor sighed as he left and took another swig. “Don’t I know it…”</p><p>--------------------</p><p>Nick opened the elevator for Adalind. “Hey, thanks for coming…”</p><p>“Of course, yeah. Your mom’s watching Diana but wanted to come too…” She paused when she saw Sloane sitting on the couch and smiled. She was different—her hair was dark with a white streak over her forehead now instead of the platinum bob for one. And she looked run down, tired and skinny. But it was her for sure. “You did find her.”</p><p>“Yeah…But whatever Juliette did is…bad.”</p><p>Adalind frowned and walked over. Sloane looked up at her and smiled wearily. “Morning…”</p><p>“Morning,” she nodded, sitting down. “…You look scared…?”</p><p>“…There’s a drangzorn behind you I killed…”</p><p>Adalind looked behind her quickly, then back to her when she saw nothing. “What?”</p><p>“She sees dead people,” Hank sighed. “But like, people she’s…”</p><p>“Killed,” Sloane sighed. “But not just that. I hear them. They show me fake things. I’ve…seen visions of the people I care about dead…I black out sometimes and wake up after having hurt someone…Sometimes myself.” She looked at her hand, which was bandaged from her wrist up through her fingers. She’d punched the mirror after hallucinating seeing her mother with a bloody knife in her hand. Her thoughts had been to protect the others and they had taken over her mind so much she didn’t stop herself from punching the mirror and didn’t realize till Nick pulled her away.</p><p>“Oh…wow…”</p><p>“That’s not all,” Monroe said.</p><p>“There’s more?!”</p><p>“Oh yeah…”</p><p>“I change at night…” Sloane said. “I don’t see the visions and my mind is fine. But I turn into…Well, it’s not like anything I’ve seen.”</p><p>“Or us,” Rosalee said. “It’s an animal…of some kind.”</p><p>“That’s…worrying,” she nodded.</p><p>“Have you ever heard of anything like this?” Nick asked hopefully.</p><p>She sighed and shook her head slowly. “Not exactly. I mean, I’ve heard of spells to make people see things. Spells to change someone’s form exist—I mean, you know that, but going between species is a lot harder. There are families that specialize in that sort of thing, but they keep their spells very secure and secret. Because otherwise, this happens…”</p><p>“Then how did Juliette do it?” Rosalee asked.</p><p>“I don’t know…she’d be the one you need to ask. Or Eve, whatever her name is.”</p><p>“…Sorry, what?” Sloane said.</p><p>“Ah…we hadn’t explained that yet,” Nick grimaced.</p><p>“Explained what? Juliette died…didn’t she?” she asked. She did remember seeing her get shot before passing out completely.</p><p>“Not exactly…I’ll explain in a bit.” He looked at Adalind. “Is there nothing you can do?”</p><p>She sighed. “I’d need to know exactly what she did…I can call Henrietta, see if she can help. We might need to see this change too.”</p><p>“No problem happens every day at sunset…” Sloane sighed.</p><p>“Can’t wait to show that off again, huh?” Maria said in her ear.</p><p>She flinched and moved away from her. Nick noticed but didn’t say anything. He could tell she didn’t want to let on just how bad it was affecting her still after breaking the mirror. But he couldn’t help but worry.</p><p>“I’ll come back around then with Henrietta then,” Adalind nodded. “If you can copy down what you see and feel today that might help too.”</p><p>Sloane nodded. “Will do.”</p><p>“…I, um…I’m currently in your house. I know that might seem weird, but I—”</p><p>“I know,” Sloane said, holding up a hand.</p><p>“You do?”</p><p>“I went to check one time…it’s alright. I saw you had Diana.”</p><p>“Y-yes…I’m glad it’s alright then,” she sighed. “Of course, when you want to get back, we’ll figure something else out.”</p><p>“I think it might be a bit before then…” she ended in a yawn.</p><p>“I think we could all use some rest after last night,” Hank sighed.</p><p>“Yeah, I am a little bushed,” Monroe said.</p><p>Rosalee looked hesitant to leave, but Sloane smiled and patted her hand. “…We’ll be back later too.”</p><p>Nick knew not to argue. “That’s fine. I’ll be here.”</p><p>The all gave Sloane a hug and she smiled as they did and they left. Eventually it was just Sloane and Nick and he sighed and sat down. “…I’m glad we found you.”</p><p>“…I’m glad too. As worried as I am, I…missed you all a lot.”</p><p>He smiled and then reached up to flick the streak of white in her dark hair, making her blink. “This is going to take some getting used to though…”</p><p>“It’s genetic,” she said, tugging at it. “I was telling Rosalee my mother and grandmother had it on back through the generations. Men too. It appeared a little before I started seeing wesen…” She looked at him and smiled. “Did you prefer me as a blonde?”</p><p>Nick blushed a little and shook his head. “No, it’s not that. You look really good.”</p><p>“I was just teasing,” she smiled. She didn’t really believe him.</p><p>Nick blushed more, realizing how desperate he sounded trying to clarify himself. “…I remember going to your house while you were dying her hair once. Wasn’t it hard to keep it up for so long?”</p><p>“A little,” she nodded. “But the streak was too identifiable when I was traveling as a Grimm. I tried dying it dark but it never looked right. Too big to just cut it all the time too. Plus…”</p><p>“Plus?”</p><p>“…It was hard to see it in the mirror sometimes. Reminded me of my grandmother…and of Dierdre.”</p><p>Nick frowned in sympathy. How hard was it, he wondered, to look in the mirror and see a feature that reminded you of someone you loved and missed dearly, and someone who hurt you so badly through most of your life. Sometimes he got a little sad when he’d see his father’s eyes in the mirror and wondered what he would be like today.</p><p>Sloane yawned again, her eyes heavy. Nick stood and offered his hands. “C’mon, why don’t you go lay down to rest?”</p><p>Sloane hesitated but reached up with her unbandaged hand and let him help her up. “…I can’t always sleep well during the day…”</p><p>“That’s okay. I’m here if you need me.” She smiled a little and followed him as he led her to a nearby bedroom. “This was originally my mother’s room, but she took the guest room at your place and so I kept it just in case someone needed it…” It was a little industrial but had the same windows that ran around the room that could be shuttered with metal shutters if needed. There was a dresser, a closet, a rug with a modern design woven into it, and a bed with simple sheets and a comforter.</p><p>“It’s nice,” she smiled.</p><p>Nick smiled back and then gently hugged her a moment. “Rest up.”</p><p>Sloane leaned her head against him a moment but then pulled back. Nick closed the door as he left and she sighed before sitting down on the bed. She was hesitant to sleep but she laid back with her hurt hand on her stomach. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe deeply and slowly and clear her mind. Slowly her tired mind finally wound down and let her sleep.</p><p>------------------</p><p>Nick sighed as he sat on the couch. He was tired too, but not too bad. He’d sleep eventually when Sloane was settled.</p><p>He jumped when he heard his phone and scrambled to answer it so it wouldn’t disturb her. “Burkhardt.”</p><p>“Nick! It’s Wu.”</p><p>“Hey, yeah, hi…”</p><p>“The captain’s here too. Because you said you found Sloane?”</p><p>“Yeah, we did…she was out in the woods. Actually squatting at the old cabin there, the one the postman lived in.”</p><p>“That’s a fortunate turn of events to say the least,” Renard said, sounding relieved.</p><p>“Yeah…but she’s also the Wild Thing.”</p><p>“…Wu thought you said that and I thought we must be too tired and heard you wrong.”</p><p>“No, I’m afraid not. It’s the curse Juliette put on her, before Trubel came that night…”</p><p>“Geeze, that’s one heck of a curse…” Wu said. “How do you know it’s her?”</p><p>“She’s human during the day. But she…sees things. It’s hard to explain,” he sighed. “I called Adalind, she and Henrietta are coming by tonight to take a look and help figure things out.”</p><p>“Can I come by? I want to see her…”</p><p>“That’s fine. …Captain?”</p><p>“I’ll come by too. I might have someone who can help too. But till then we’re still dealing with a little fallout. A high-priced lawyer came by to bail out most of Grosvenor’s men.”</p><p>“And we still haven’t found the man himself. All of his stooges here are saying he was never there and they acted without his consent to fire in the city.”</p><p>“They can’t think that will work?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Unfortunately, we could only say Wu and I were there due to coincidence. We can’t say we saw the beast, trespassed, or anything like that. So it’s our word against the word of about two dozen…”</p><p>“Fantastic,” Nick sighed. “Why are they even loyal to him?”</p><p>“It’s not loyalty I think. They seemed more scared than anything…I’m not sure why. Certainly he’s intimidating when he wants to be but they out number him.”</p><p>“Maybe he has something else,” Nick supposed. “Something over their heads.”</p><p>“More than likely…We’re going to hold on to as many as we can but right now best we have on them is illegal discharge of a weapon and disturbing the peace.”</p><p>“Yeah, working on this whole “don’t tell them what wesen are” thing kind of blows sometimes,” Wu said dryly.</p><p>“Trust me, I know,” Nick said. “I’d like to stay here with Sloane right now though.”</p><p>“That’s fine. We’ll update you if anything else happens,” Renard said.</p><p>“Thanks. Bye.”</p><p>They hanged up and Nick sighed a bit. He shouldn’t be surprised a guy like Grosvenor had lawyers on retainer. Still, the frustration was palpable. Turning on the TV, he leaned back to watch some TV and catch up on current events.</p><p>-------------------</p><p>When Sloane opened her eyes again, she frowned because something was wrong. This wasn’t the room Nick left her in—it was even more plain. Just a bed and a single window inside plain white, boring walls. Sitting up, she looked down and frowned further at the fact she was wearing what looked like plain white pajamas instead of the jeans and a T-Shirt. “What…?” Standing she looked around and then noted there was a wire mesh over the windows. Looking out, she saw a green lawn with similarly dressed people walking around in the sun. Some seemed happy, others seemed almost lost as they moved like zombies.</p><p>“Where am I…? This isn’t right.” Turning, she headed for the door only to find it was locked. Pounding on it, she called out. “Hey! Hey, why am I locked in here?! Hey!”</p><p>She moved back when the door opened and a man in blue scrubs stood there. “Miss Larson…you don’t seem to have calmed down.”</p><p>“Calmed down? What are you talking about—where am I?”</p><p>The man sighed. “Miss Larson, you know where you are.”</p><p>“The hell I do!”</p><p>“Language,” he said, writing something on the clipboard. “If you keep being belligerent, we’re going to have to put you in solitary again.” He paused and then walked past her and grabbed a sheet of paper from her wall—a drawing she remembered doing at the cabin of a Blutbad. “You’re drawing them again?” he said, sounding impatient. “Miss Larson, you know you’re supposed to stop drawing these creatures. The doctors are going to be disappointed in you.”</p><p>Sloane stared a moment before turning and running out the door. She could hear him call after her but she kept running. She slowed when she passed by a sign. <em>Sage Grove Mental Health Hospital? This…this is where they took me after Oma died…</em> <em>How did I get here?! Where’s Nick and the others?!</em></p><p>As she rounded a corner, she nearly knocked someone else down. Hands steadied her and she looked up to see Nick. “Nick! Oh thank God!” she said.</p><p>“Miss Larson? What’s wrong?”</p><p>She froze and then realized he was wearing scrubs and a white coat. “What…Nick, why are you wearing that?”</p><p>“Miss Larson, you’re not supposed to call me that…” he said, frowning.</p><p>The orderly from before ran up, sighing. “Doctor, I’m sorry. I was looking at this and she made a runner.” He held up the drawing and Nick sighed.</p><p>“You’re drawing them again…”</p><p>“Them? Nick, you know what they are—”</p><p>“Miss Larson, my name isn’t Nick. I’m Dr. Daniel Berkin. We went over this before.”</p><p>“…No, that’s…that’s not true,” she shook her head. “Where’s Monroe and Rosalee?!”</p><p>“Monroe and Rosalee got better and were able to go home,” he said calmly.</p><p>“Went home…? They weren’t here! This isn’t where I’m supposed to be! This isn’t real!” She shook her head, moving away from him.</p><p>“Miss Larson, Monroe had clinical Lycanthropy. We were able to help him realize he wasn’t turning into a wolf. Rosalee was able to finally heal from her time with addiction. These are good things.”</p><p>“No…this isn’t right…”</p><p>He sighed and gave a subtle nod to the orderly. “You need to rest some more.” The orderly gripped her arms and Sloane reacted on instinct to turn and slam her elbow into him. He shouted and Nick—Dr. Berkin—tried to grab her but she slipped away and ran for it. “Miss Larson! Sloane!”</p><p>She kept running, her feet were softly hitting the floor in non-slip socks but still echoing in the sterile whitewashed halls. A few people looked at her and their faces were familiar—Ryker Dowling, Frankie Gonzales, Peter Orson, and several others all dressed as patients. She saw Wu and Renard in the distance dressed as an orderly and a doctor.</p><p>“Miss Larson?” Renard said, eyeing her. Dr. Berkin came up and sighed as he came to a stop. “…Is she having a relapse?”</p><p>“…Yes.”</p><p>“She got violent, sir,” the orderly said.</p><p>He sighed and nodded to Wu and the other orderly, who closed in on her. “Wu, please…” Sloane said.</p><p>“We’re not here to hurt you,” he said. She tried to get away again but Wu grabbed her left arm and the other orderly grabbed her right.</p><p>“Let go!” she struggled but they held on tight.</p><p>“Nurse! Get some sedation!” Renard ordered.</p><p>“Yes sir!” Sloane was surprised to see Adalind coming from a station with a syringe in hand. She struggled more but she stuck her and Sloane felt something burn as it was injected.</p><p>“Get off!” she shouted, nearly bucking them all off.</p><p>“Take her to solitary!”</p><p>“Dr. Reese, is that necessary?” Dr. Berkin asked. “She’s already been sedated; it’ll take effect soon!”</p><p>As if on que Sloane started feeling weak and she dropped to her knees. <em>No, it shouldn’t go this fast…this isn’t real…</em></p><p>“She dangerous wound up,” he said. “I know you hoped to do a gentler method, but she’s been here since she was a child, Dr. Berkin.”</p><p>
  <em>Since I was a child…? No…Dierdre got me out of here…but it feels real…I left…didn’t I? Did she never come? But then how did I know about wesen? But why are they here?</em>
</p><p>“I was making progress! I don’t know why she relapsed. But solitary might undo that.”</p><p>“She called me “Wu”, it’s already been undone,” he sighed, pulling her up with the other.                        </p><p>“Dr. Berkin, I think we may rethink you being her doctor. She’s gotten too attached,” Dr. Reese said. “And vice versa.”</p><p>“I’m just trying to provide the best care and support I can,” he said defensively. “So she has a better chance of being released.”</p><p>“It’s been 20 years, Dr. Berkin…”</p><p>“Yeah, she’s probably not getting out of here ever,” the other said. Sloane didn’t recognize him but the words cut through none the less.</p><p><em>No…no no!</em> She managed to get a surge of adrenaline and shook them off, starting to run again.</p><p>“Sloane!”</p><p>Sloane kept running, managing to find a door and push through—but it was a door to the outside on the roof. She heard them coming after her and looked around but the only way to go was up. She managed to grab the edge of the building and climb, getting to the very top of the roof.</p><p>“Sloane! Get down!” Dr. Berkin yelled.</p><p>“No! This isn’t right! You’re not this! This isn’t right! I’m not crazy!”</p><p>“Sloane, it’s not being crazy! You’ve been traumatized by your grandmother’s death! You saw her killers as monsters—you were a child! It’s understandable! I’m just trying to help you put things in enough perspective you can go live your life again!” He started climbing after her and she scrambled back on the incline of the roof. “I just want to help you…I let you think I understood, but that might’ve been a mistake.”</p><p>Sloane shook her head, feeling the panic bubbling up. “No…it was real…you’re a Grimm and Monroe and Rosalee wouldn’t leave me and…”</p><p>“Sloane…I’m sorry…” he said.</p><p>“You’re going to leave me too…”</p><p>“It’s not up to me…” he said. “I want to help you though.” He moved towards her.</p><p>She tried to move back again but didn’t realize she was at the edge and her foot slipped. She felt herself tipping back and tried to regain her balance but saw that she was falling several stories to the ground below. But as she hit, the ground gave way like water. It was a shock, but not as much as when black, skeletal hands grabbed her, pulling her deeper. She screamed but couldn’t hear it, fighting against them, trying to get back to the surface. <em>This is the only way out, Sloane. Give in.</em></p><p>----------------------</p><p>It was maybe a couple of hours after he sat down Nick nearly threw the remote when he heard a scream. It took him a moment to realize it was Sloane because he’d never heard her scream like that—pure terror. He scrambled up and rushed to the room. Sloane was wasn’t in bed and he panicked a moment before he scanned the room and saw her on the other side of the room, breathing deeply and shaking. “Sloane? Sloane, what’s wrong?” He went over but she shrank back as if trying to move through the wall away from him. He hesitated but then backed away and sat down. “Sloane?”</p><p>She closed her eyes, breathing deeply and trying to calm herself down. Nick let her, watching her worriedly. Finally she was breathing more evenly and not shaking as much. “…Where am I?”</p><p>He frowned but tried to stay calm. “My loft…we brought you here this morning.”</p><p>“Monroe and Rosalee?”</p><p>He nodded. “Yeah, and Hank. Adalind was here for a little while. What happened?”</p><p>“…Bad…dream,” she sighed. “Felt so real…but I’m not hurt or dead so I guess it wasn’t…”</p><p>Nick’s heart lurched a little. “Hurt or dead? Sloane, how bad was this?”</p><p>“…bad…” she shook her head and curled up more, hiding her face. “I’ve had rough ones before. Memories and scenarios. Like the opposite of that dream world. Death and darkness. This one…messed with me more. Made me think I was crazy…that I…never left the mental hospital they took me to as a child…that none of you were my friends, just patients or doctors…that it was all in my head.” She gripped her hair. “Only way out was dying…I fell from the roof. Trying to get away from you.”</p><p>“From me?” he said, shocked.</p><p>“Yes—no…no, “Dr. Berkin”. They wanted to put me in solitary. They did that a lot when I was a kid because I kept getting scared by everything…at one point I started to believe I really was crazy... I …don’t even know any more if I’m not,” she sobbed.</p><p>Nick slowly scooted forward till he was next to her. He reached his arm over, setting it over her shoulders. “This is real, Sloane. I promise. I’m real. I’m real and I’m not some doctor who doesn’t believe you. I’m a Grimm. Same as you. I don’t know everything you’ve been through, but I can relate to a lot.” He squeezed her when she looked up, her eyes red and tired. “And I promise you, we’ll figure this out.”</p><p>She sighed, then tensed when he pulled her in to rest against him. Slowly she relaxed though as he rubbed over her arm, trying to comfort her. Her eyes still looked heavy and he had a feeling this wasn’t the first nightmare she’d had that had her waking up like this. <em>And she had to manage it all alone before…she probably hasn’t been sleeping well in months…</em>He stroked his fingers through her hair and pressed his forehead to her crown. <em>We’ll figure this out.</em></p><p>-----------------</p><p>Sloane had spent the rest of the day with Nick on the couch, also catching up on current events. She was chagrinned finding the reports about the Wild Thing. “I thought I was being careful and got out of the way fast enough…”</p><p>“Hey, not everyone gets to say they’re a cryptid,” Nick smiled. He smiled more at the flat look of disapproval she gave him. But he sighed as well. “…You said you saw Trubel here before.”</p><p>She muted the TV and nodded. “Yeah…and you said she was part of the group that took me.”</p><p>He nodded. “Hadrian’s Wall. That’s what they call themselves.”</p><p>“After that wall in Britannia?” she asked, arching her brow.</p><p>“I guess they wanted a name that sounded like they were defending something.”</p><p>“Huh…I think Aegis was cooler.”</p><p>Nick smiled. “You’re a little biased considering your Grandmother was part of it.”</p><p>“You’re point?”</p><p>He snorted but sighed. “…They took Juliette too.”</p><p>“…I vaguely remember what happened after she…” she shuddered. “Didn’t she get shot?”</p><p>“Yeah. By Trubel, with a crossbow.”</p><p>“Oh…” she said. “That’s right…” He looked at him with sympathy. “I’m…sorry, Nick.”</p><p>“…Well, she’s alive still.”</p><p>Sloane tensed but then shook her head. Nick realized she was scared. The fact she was scared of Juliette would’ve been strange a year ago but he couldn’t blame her. “I…how? Why?”</p><p>He put a hand on hers. “She’s not going to hurt you. Not that I’d let her, but…When Hadrian’s wall took her, they did something to her. I don’t know what but it’s like they…reprogrammed her. She’s devoid of emotion and just does what they tell her to do. She calls herself “Eve” now. As if she’s become a new person…” he added bitterly.</p><p>“…I don’t want to see her.” Nick looked at Sloane in surprise at the quiver in her voice. “I’m sure it will come up. That she could help me. But I really…really don’t want to see her.”</p><p>“That’s fine,” he said quickly, squeezing her hand again. “I don’t blame you. I don’t either. She saved my life but after what she did I don’t want to see her either. The fact she’s saying she’s someone else and that “Juliette did that, not me” pisses me off too.”</p><p>“Yeah, it’d piss me off too,” she said, sneering a little.</p><p>“The guy in charge of the branch here isn’t bad though,” he admitted. “I mean, he’s a bit more open than Chavez was.”</p><p>“Chavez?”</p><p>“Yeah, uh…this was the organization she was part of. The one she tried to recruit us too. Well, you and Trubel first since I wasn’t a Grimm at the time. Trubel did end up joining when she went to Philly.”</p><p>“…I’m not sure how I feel about that.”</p><p>“…Chavez died.” She looked at him. “I went a little nuts after what happened to you and Juliette. I thought Chavez was behind taking you both and in a way I was right. But I didn’t go about it very well. I might be on the FBI watchlist…”</p><p>“Well…I mean, I probably am too. In some way, shape or form. You’re mom definitely is.”</p><p>Nick smiled, not surprised. “I confronted her and then I kidnapped her.”</p><p>“You what now?” she said, shocked.</p><p>“I was desperate to find you!” He blushed a little at the admission and Sloane looked surprised as well. “I mean…I was convinced they took you. And they did. She arranged a meeting with more members of Hadrian’s Wall but they were killed, and we were ambushed. She fought really hard but they ended up killing her. Clawed through her…”</p><p>“…Damn,” she sighed. “I didn’t like her, but I didn’t think she deserved that…”</p><p>“She didn’t. But she told me to get out of there before I was linked to it. I found out later from the other man in charge, after Trubel came back, that the people responsible are part of basically a Wesen Terrorist cell. They call themselves Black Claw.”</p><p>Sloane frowned and turned more towards him. “What do you know about them?”</p><p>Nick took a breath and went over what they had—the marks, the attacks on shop owners, Xavier and his betrayal, the trap “Eve” saved them from, all of it. Sloane listened intently, frowning further on occasion but nodding by the end. “…and that’s where we’re at right now. They hit a chemical company two days ago but we don’t know why.”</p><p>Sloane sighed, rubbing over her forehead. “I’m not sure either…Did you call Gallin?”</p><p>“Gallin?”</p><p>“Yeah, she knows a lot of people through the library. She might be able to find someone who knows something.”</p><p>“…I didn’t think of that…also, I don’t know if I have her number.”</p><p>“I’ll call her then…did they ever find my phone?”</p><p>“Yeah, it was in Juliette’s car. I have it in a box with some other stuff of yours like your wallet.”</p><p>“That’s good,” she sighed.</p><p>“Yeah. I also have your car in the garage downstairs with your other stuff. I tried to keep it all together for when you came back…”</p><p>“…You were sure I would?” she asked.</p><p>Nick looked at her, knowing the question under that one. <em>You were sure I was alive?</em> “Yeah…I was sure you wouldn’t die for one thing. Pretty sure you’re going to live forever,” he said with a wry smile.</p><p>She smiled a little. “Well, nothing’s killed me so far, so that tracks.”</p><p>He chuckled. “And I was sure you’d come back. And I was right.”</p><p>“…Took me a while,” she said softly.</p><p>“Yeah, but that’s not your fault…” he said, rubbing over her arm again.</p><p>She smiled and a little more. Nick got her phone for her a few moments later and plugged it in to charge after realizing it was dead. He set her keys and wallet with his on the table by the door.</p><p>When the sun started getting low, the knocks on the door started. It should’ve been a party with how many people walked in but the mood wasn’t light enough. But relief was still the overall feeling.</p><p>“Oh my God, I’m glad to see you,” Wu sighed, hugging Sloane when he came through the door.</p><p>“I’m glad to see you too,” she smiled. “I realized I didn’t know where you lived while I was…y’know.”</p><p>“You really turn into the wild thing?” he asked, surprised.</p><p>“Boy does she,” Monroe said.</p><p>“…Is it bad I’m excited to see it?”</p><p>Sloane rolled her eyes. “I’m hoping it’ll be one of the last times…”</p><p>“No, yeah, same, but like this sounds different than a woge.”</p><p>“It definitely is,” Rosalee sighed.</p><p>“It’s painful…” Sloane muttered. Wu’s excitement dimmed and he frowned worriedly.</p><p>The elevator started up again and Nick sighed. “This should be Renard, Henrietta and Adalind…”</p><p>“Good, I was getting impatient,” she sighed. The elevator came back up and sure enough there were the three they expected, and one more.</p><p>“Angela?” Nick asked, surprised.</p><p>Angela Tien smiled as she stepped off the elevator. They hadn’t seen her in almost two years, since the incident where her book of shadows was stolen, but she hadn’t changed much aside from her glossy black hair being longer down her back. “Hello again. Long time no see.”</p><p>“Yeah…um, what…”</p><p>“Angela’s talent is body modification if you remember. While this might be more extreme, I thought she might have more insight,” Renard said.</p><p>“I agreed,” Henrietta said. “The Tien family is well known for that talent, though it’s usually beauty spells.”</p><p>“We know,” Nick said.</p><p>“We had to get her book back from a very insecure woman who wanted to be pretty at any cost,” Hank said.</p><p>“<em>Any</em> cost,” Sloane added.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on using parts of people to help you,” Angela said. “I’m here to return the favor you did me from that case.”</p><p>“Okay…” she nodded slowly.</p><p>“Kelly wanted to come too,” Adalind said. “But she’s watching Diana. She’s really glad you’re okay though.”</p><p>Sloane smiled a little bit then sobered when they came closer to where she was sitting at the island. “First, let me take a look at you now before you change,” Henrietta said, walking forward. “It sounds like your current state is more up my alley from what Adalind told us.” Sloane looked up at her as she leaned in. She examined her similar to a doctor—feeling over her head and neck, looking in her mouth, and then taking out a flashlight to look into her eyes. “What do you normally see?”</p><p>“Dead bodies…see those a lot. Sometimes just dead, sometimes they talk to me. It’s people I know…usually people I kill. Sometimes…people I miss or people I…” she looked at the others and then down. “People I don’t want to die. Usually I don’t in the hour before I change so I wasn’t expecting it…”</p><p>“I see…I mean I don’t, but that’s interesting. You said they talk to you?”</p><p>“Guilt trip me. I mean, I know some of them did deserve it—but not all…”</p><p>“Yikes,” Wu muttered.</p><p>“Sometimes they try to hurt me physically.”</p><p>“Illusions?”</p><p>“Yeah. The feel real sometimes though. One of them put their hand in my chest. I mean <em>in</em>. I felt it around my heart.”</p><p>“Oh my God,” Rosalee said, closing her eyes as her stomach dipped. Nick was also shocked. He hadn’t realized how bad it was.</p><p>“And I have dreams. Kind of like before, where it feels real, but they’re not good dreams…”</p><p>Henrietta was frowning as she spoke. “That’s a lot…I’m impressed you’ve kept it together as well as you have.”</p><p>“Doesn’t feel like I am,” she sighed, rubbing her eyes. “We Grimms can go without sleep for a while okay but I’m starting to feel it…” She paused and looked out the window. “…I need to take these clothes off.”</p><p>“Whoa, is that the visions talking?” Monroe said, several of them blushing.</p><p>“No, it’s the fact I know I’m about to change talking. Last time I changed while in clothes, it was uncomfortable and ruined them and also nearly choked me.”</p><p>Angela nodded. “Would you be alright if we all went into a bedroom so we can see? Just us Hexenbiests?”</p><p>“…Grimm instincts say no, all things considered, but okay,” she sighed, standing. Nick watched them all head to the second bedroom and sighed.</p><p>“She’s feeling these things?” Rosalee hissed.</p><p>“I didn’t know that. I knew about the dreams…she woke up screaming when I convinced her to take a nap earlier.”</p><p>“Man…I wish we could do more for her,” Hank sighed.</p><p>“We’re doing what we can. Hopefully the ladies can do more,” Renard said.</p><p>Sloane meanwhile took off her clothes in the bedroom, tossing them aside.</p><p>“…You’re all scratched up,” Adalind said. She was looking mainly at scratches along her arm that matched up with her own fingers, as though she was clawing at her skin.</p><p>“…Sometimes pain helped me focus,” Sloane said, not looking at her.</p><p>“I have a good cream to help scars,” Angela said, looking sympathetically at her skin.</p><p>“Some of these are older than what’s happening now,” she sighed, grabbing the sheet so she could finish undressing. Tossing her jeans and underwear on the pile, she sighed and sat down under the blanket to keep a bit of her modesty. They could see the sun beginning to dip even lower and she groaned as she felt the familiar full-body cramping coming over her. She curled up on her side because it felt like her whole body was on fire. Like she was being melted down and remolded. Her bones cracked in the fire, expanding, shifting, changing. The follicles in her skin thickened and the hair lengthened and turned into the black and white fur of before. Her face and jaw ached like they were being pulled as they shifted into the beast-like snout. The sounds she made dipped from human sounds of pain to low growls and shrill whines of an animal.</p><p>The witches watched in shock and a little awe as she changed. When it was done Sloane managed to get to her four feet and turned to them.</p><p>“…Holy shit,” Angela managed. Sloane huffed a bit, shaking out her fur. The witches moved towards her, not afraid.</p><p>“I’ll be frank, I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Henrietta said.</p><p>“Me neither,” Adalind said. “I mean, shapeshifting into an animal is hard. This is…”</p><p>“Expert. But not flawless, I think,” Angela said, looking her over. “I think this is a combination of spells. One to make you crazy, one to make you…this.”</p><p>“Layered spell work…that’s dangerous and unstable,” Henrietta sighed.</p><p>“Describes Juliette pretty well at the end there,” Adalind said. Sloane rumbled in agreement</p><p>“Is it alright if I take some samples?” Angela asked. Sloane almost managed a quirked brow but finally huffed her consent. Angela plucked some hairs and managed to cut through a nail with some strong pliers she’d brought. “This one might be harder…” she pulled out a syringe and Sloane rumbled. “A little blood would go a long way, I promise.” Huffing again, she brought her arm up and she took that sample.</p><p>“You obviously keep your human mind like this. Do you still have visions?” Henrietta asked. She managed to shake her head as Angela finished up and put all her samples into a bag to take with her. There was a knock at the door that made them all look up.</p><p>“Ladies? Everything okay?” Nick asked, trying to keep his tone light.</p><p>Henrietta looked at Sloane. “You okay going out to them?”</p><p>She sighed but headed for the door as she opened it. Nick jumped a bit seeing her again and she looked away as she padded out.</p><p>“Whoa…” Wu said, backing up a little. “I…Is that really you, Sloane?”</p><p>She made an affirmative sound, her footfalls heavier over the floor as she walked to the living room. She eyed the couch but then huffed and sat down next to it instead. Renard was also looking at her with wide eyes. “I can’t believe it…”</p><p>“Believe it, we watched her change,” Adalind said. “We were just discussing that we think this is two spells on top of one another. Insanity and this. Insanity I know about…” She glanced apologetically at Hank. “But the other is a bit out of my depth.”</p><p>“Ours too, to be honest,” Henrietta sighed.</p><p>“You know…I think I do remember a family that specialized in spells to change people into animals,” Angela said thoughtfully. “It’s pretty frowned on though. It’s seen as darker magic because of the requirements and the whole turning people into beasts thing. So they usually practice in secret. I don’t know how this Juliette person could get ahold of the spell to do it.”</p><p>“I was wondering that too,” Henrietta said. “She must’ve needed time to prepare and a recipe to work from. No matter how skilled, she couldn’t do this on the fly.”</p><p>“…Could she have gotten ahold of a book?” Hank guessed.</p><p>“I mean, it’s a possibility, but this family isn’t one to let their books out. And stealing one…well, there’s a story I heard about one turning a man into a mouse and then turning themselves into a snake…” Angela said.</p><p>“And I don’t need to hear more of that,” Monroe said, shuddering.</p><p>Adalind sighed but looked at Nick. “I know you don’t want to talk to her, but… “Eve” might be your best bet to get more information.”</p><p>Nick frowned and looked at Sloane. She looked put out but sighed and nodded. “…Alright,” he sighed. He went to his room to grab the phone Meisner left him, sitting on the bed as he dialed.</p><p>“Nick. Surprised to hear from you,” he said. “Have you given any thought to our offer.”</p><p>“I’m afraid I’m still not into playing secret agent,” Nick said. “But I need to talk to Eve.”</p><p>“Ah, I’m afraid she isn’t here. She’s been assigned a mission across the Pacific. That’s all I can say.”</p><p>Nick cursed. “When will she be back?”</p><p>“That falls outside the “all I can say”.”</p><p>“Meisner, I’m serious!”</p><p>“…What’s this about then?”</p><p>Nick hesitated but sighed again. “We found Sloane.”</p><p>“You did?” he asked, shocked. “She’s alive?”</p><p>“Yes. But she’s suffering from a curse Juliette put on her. I need to talk to her to find out what it is so we can fix it!”</p><p>Meisner sighed now. “I want to help, Nick…but to be honest, because of the sensitivity of the mission and the amount of security she faces, Eve has been ordered to do minimal contact. I won’t be able to contact her till she contacts us. And that could be a while.”</p><p>He groaned, pulling at his hair. “…what about a book? Did she have a book when you grabbed her?”</p><p>“A book…? …Yes, actually. A small book. Filled with spells from the look of it.”</p><p>“Can you get it?”</p><p>“I can try. It was sent to lock up. I’ll see if I can get it sent up if you think it will help.”</p><p>“I’d appreciate that,” he said honestly.</p><p>“Bear in mind, I might need a favor too.”</p><p>Nick frowned. “What sort of favor?”</p><p>“Think of it like a partnership. We both want Black Claw taken down. I’ll keep you more in the loop on what we know if you do the same. We might be able to figure things out better that way given our individual resources.”</p><p>Nick pursed his lips. He hated that it made sense and was a fair deal. Meisner seemed okay, but the whole thing with Hadrian’s Wall still rubbed him the wrong way. <em>It’s for Sloane though…</em> “I can agree to that.”</p><p>“Great. I’ll give you a call when I have word on the book, it should only take a day or two.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>“Do you want me to tell Trubel she back?”</p><p>“…Yeah. Yeah, I think she’d want to know. Just tell her she’s going through a lot right now.”</p><p>“Will do.” They hanged up and Nick sighed again. Standing, he went back to the living room to see Wu and the others looking Sloane over curiously. She looked a bit uncomfortable with all the attention but was putting up with it.</p><p>“We saw you jump before. Your legs are pretty strong,” Renard said.</p><p>“No kidding! The claws are too,” Monroe said, holding her front arm. “Ours are strong but these are like knives!”</p><p>Sloane’s ears flattened. Nick could tell she was feeling uncomfortable with all the attention to her animal-like features.</p><p>“Okay,” Nick said loud enough to draw their attention. “So I talked to Meisner. Eve is out of the country on some assignment, they don’t know when she’ll be back and can’t contact her while she’s there.”</p><p>“What?” Rosalee said, looking perturbed.</p><p>“I know. But Meisner said they do have a book she had with her when they first picked her up. He needs to get it from storage, but it might help.”</p><p>“It’s a start,” Henrietta sighed. “Let us know when you can get it then.”</p><p>“I’ll go take a look at this. I have some old friends in the medical industry who should be able to let me use their lab.”</p><p>“Medical?” Hank asked.</p><p>She smiled wryly. “I was in the make-up business before I went on my own.  One of the big ones. We have to test and make sure things work and don’t have adverse side effects. I was more on the business end but I still have friends there.”</p><p>“Thanks, Angela,” Nick said.</p><p>She nodded and the three witches headed out first. Rosalee sat on the arm rest of the couch, looking at Sloane. “You want us to stay?”</p><p>Sloane make a throaty sound then sighed.</p><p>“Yeah, hard to join in the conversation, huh?” Monroe asked, wincing in sympathy.</p><p>She rumbled again. Rosalee gave her a hug, her arms barely going around the thick neck of muscle and fur. Nick sighed and hoped that they would be able to figure something out soon when he saw melancholy look in that bestial face.</p><p>-------------------</p><p>Adalind sighed as she walked back through the door. Kelly was sitting on the couch, having already put Diana to bed. “Hey. How is she?”</p><p>“Not…great,” she sighed. “What Juliette did is impressive. I think it’s going to take all three of us to figure out what to do about it.”</p><p>Kelly frowned and sighed. “I wish I could be of help…”</p><p>“I think she’d like to talk with you. Just as a friend,” Adalind smiled.</p><p>Kelly smiled back and sighed. “You need to give Diana the potion still...she put on a lovely performance earlier making her dolls dance, but it was sort of lost on me and that made her a bit unhappy…I think I found all the other toys she sent flying.”</p><p>Adalind grimaced. “I’m sorry, Kelly…”</p><p>“It’s alright. If all else fails, I can give it to her.”</p><p>“You?”</p><p>“Yeah. At least then she would be upset with her mother.”</p><p>Adalind felt a little choked up but nodded with a smile. “I appreciate the thought…I don’t want her to be upset with you either though…Especially with all the help you give me.”</p><p>“Well, someone will have to do it soon.”</p><p>“I know…Maybe I could ask someone she won’t be around much to do it…”</p><p>------------------</p><p>Nick woke up at sunrise when he heard the sound of Sloane changing back. Monroe, Rosalee and the others had stayed a while longer before leaving and they’d had a rather awkward rest of the night. Ultimately she’d gone and curled up on the floor of the bedroom to avoid breaking the bed and Nick made sure she had blankets and a pillow to rest on. She didn’t have to worry about hunting or checking up on them now. She could sleep without worrying about nightmares, and told her as much so she’d slept all this time to the best of his knowledge. Till the sun signaled her change back.</p><p>He got up and quietly padded to the other room. Cracking the door, he saw Sloane had finished changing and was curled up on the rug. He’d just wanted to make sure she was okay. But he’d forgotten she’d be nude when she transformed. She was facing away thankfully, but the sight of her naked back rising and falling in harsh breaths made him blush and swallow. He quickly but quietly closed the door again. <em>She’s fine…let her rest a bit more…</em></p><p>He went to start making coffee and something to eat since he didn’t feel like going back to sleep. After a little bit, Sloane came out in a shirt and pair of shorts from the box of clothes he’d brought up from the garage. He smiled. “Good Morning…did you not want to sleep in?”</p><p>“I smelled coffee…” she said, yawning. “Plus, I slept better than I have in a long while…rather enjoy the time before the visions start than sleep through it.”</p><p>“Fair enough…” He poured her a cup and set it down, then grabbed two sugar packs and handed to her. It was how she usually took it. She smiled and shook them out before tearing them open and pouring them in.</p><p>“Been a while since I’ve had coffee…It was easier to make tea when I could.” She took a sip and sighed. “The caffeine hit would’ve been nice.”</p><p>Nick smiled and sat down with her. “…You probably shouldn’t return to work huh?”</p><p>Sloane paused in taking a sip and looked pensive. “…No. Too dangerous.”</p><p>Nick nodded, the unspoken possibilities of giving someone seeing violent hallucinations a weapon hanging between them. “I can take off for a while then.”</p><p>She looked at him and frowned. “I appreciate that, Nick, but you told me about everything you have on your plate last night and…I don’t think you should drop it for me.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t be dropping it, just…setting it down somewhere.”</p><p>“And picking it up again might be hard.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t go help you, but I don’t want you putting your work and others at risk for me. I’ll get back out there with you when this is over.”</p><p>Nick smiled and put a hand over hers. “I look forward to that…” She smiled back. Nick felt something <em>flutter</em> inside him and he cleared his throat.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, my phone,” Sloane said, also looking away. She went to pick up her phone. “It’s like 9 something in Texas…” she muttered, doing the math in her head as she dialed.</p><p>“Sloane? Hey! Haven’t heard from you in a while.”</p><p>“Yeah…a lots happened.”</p><p>“Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good…” Gallin said, sobering.</p><p>“It’s not…and honestly it’s a lot to go over now that I think about it…”</p><p>“…Why don’t you email me the explanation. I have a feeling you called with a question?”</p><p>Sloane smiled a little. “Thanks, that’d be easier…maybe…But yeah. Is there any sign of the Library here reopening? We need some resources…”</p><p>“I know, it’s been a process,” she sighed. “I didn’t think it would take this long either. But I do have good news.”</p><p>“You do?” she asked hopefully.</p><p>“Yeah. We found someone—it’s actually an old friend of my family’s. She’s been doing research abroad for a long time and I’ve been messaging her about Gwen’s research. I had copies of the best notes.” Sloane hummed a little in disapproval. “Hey, I stand by some things can be helpful from what she did! And I’m determined she’ll never get credit for them.”</p><p>“Alright….so this person is coming here though?”</p><p>“Yeah, the more I told her the more interested she got. I guess she’s curious what’s got all these Wesen so drawn to Portland.”</p><p>“I’ve wondered the same thing…”</p><p>“She’s also, um…a Grimm.”</p><p>Sloane blinked. “I…wait, an actual Grimm? Not just a relation?”</p><p>“Yeah. She’s untraditional—to be honest, that’s part of why I’ve hesitated recommending other candidates. With how you and Mr. Burkhardt work, I was a little worried there might be friction if I just got a usual Librarian. But I think you’ll get along after talking to her.”</p><p>“…Good thinking,” she said, realizing she was right. “So this one isn’t going to cause friction?”</p><p>“I don’t think so. Her name is Dr. Victoria Hier. She’s retiring as a doctor and coming to take over as the librarian.”</p><p>“Great, when will she get here?”</p><p>“Uh, well…it’ll still be about a month…” she said.</p><p>“A month?” she asked, disappointed.</p><p>“Yeah, she needs to finish up some business in London and get her accommodations ready in Portland, getting the clearance and the keys and contacting the above ground Library…”</p><p>“So it’s a lot, I get it,” she sighed. “Well, can you let her know to contact us when it’s ready?”</p><p>“Yeah, of course. I let her know you two actually are rooted in Portland so she’s looking forward to meeting you. But she wants to wait till she’s settled there I think—moving is already hard I can tell you.”</p><p>“No, I get it…Thanks Cynthia. I’ll email you later.”</p><p>“Should I read it with a glass of wine to spit out?”</p><p>“Might need a bottle,” she smiled.</p><p>“Oh, that bad…?” she grimaced.</p><p>“Yeah…take care, we’ll catch up more later.”</p><p>“Sounds good.”</p><p>She hanged up and sighed.</p><p>“I think I get the gist from your side of the conversation,” Nick said. “So no access for at least a month?”</p><p>“At least,” she nodded, setting the phone back down.</p><p>“Well…Adalind and the others might figure something out. We’ll just have to wait and see.”</p><p>“Yeah…”</p><p>Nick frowned and walked over. “You okay?”</p><p>“…Just remembering the fact my collection is mostly gone…” she sighed. “The library will help but…It’s like a part of me burnt up too. Some of the bad parts maybe but…was it all bad? Should I be happy, starting from scratch?”</p><p>Nick thought about it then shook his head. “I know you did stuff I don’t agree with…but you’ve also made a lot of changes. You’re not the same person you were before—well, more accurately, I think you’re allowing yourself to be the kind of person you actually are. Instead of being just this loner hunter killing anything you think is a threat. And that’s good. But it’s still your past. It’s still stuff that belonged to your family. That’s not something you can just say goodbye to and be alright I think…I mean, I’m getting my Aunt’s trailer back, one way or another. But that doesn’t mean I want to be a traditional Grimm. That make sense?” he asked uncertainly.</p><p>Sloane smiled gratefully and nodded. “I think I get it...thanks.”</p><p>Nick smiled and felt the urge to hug her. Sloane wasn’t always big on physical affection though so he hesitated. She went to go keep drinking her coffee and he watched her go, wondering if the moment had passed. Would it make her uncomfortable? Freak her out? Or would she like it? <em>Or would she get confused about how I feel? How do I feel?</em> By the time he considered just going for it, his phone rang and he sighed and grabbed it from his room. “Burkhardt.”</p><p>“Nick. It’s Renard. How is she doing?”</p><p>Nick looked at her at the island, staring pensively at her coffee again. “She’s not doing badly…”</p><p>“I’m glad. However, I’m afraid we have a situation…”</p><p>Nick frowned. “Is it Black Claw?”</p><p>“I don’t think so, but it is a case that requires your…expertise.”</p><p>Nick sighed. “Sir, I don’t think this is the best time…”</p><p>“I understand and I wouldn’t have called you in, except a man is dead. Violently killed by a “monster” in front of his wife at Diamond Lake.”</p><p>“It didn’t kill her?”</p><p>“No. The Sheriff has asked for help, your help, specifically because of you and Hank and Sloane have such a reputation for solving “weird” cases.”</p><p>“Sloane can’t go though and I don’t know if I should leave her alone—” He jumped when the phone was plucked from his hand.</p><p>“He’ll be there in a bit, Renard,” Sloane said.</p><p>“Sloane!” Nick said, looking at her askance.</p><p>She hanged up and looked right back at him disapprovingly, putting her hands on her hips. “We agreed you wouldn’t drop things for me.”</p><p>“But I haven’t even taken this one up!”</p><p>“I’m not a child, Nick!”</p><p>“Obviously! But you are going through some pretty bad hallucinations!”</p><p>“I’ve handled it for over six months on my own!”</p><p>“But you shouldn’t have and you don’t have to anymore!” he shouted. Sloane flinched a little and he paused and took a breath. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell…But I’m worried, Sloane. That nightmare you had yesterday really shook you up.”</p><p>Sloane looked away, crossing her arms. “I’m already over it…”</p><p>He frowned, not sure that was true. “Be that as it may, I’m worried what else you might see…”</p><p>“Nick, I appreciate you’re worried,” she said, sounding sincere but frustrated. “But you said Trubel may not be here and I’m in no condition to go on a hunt. You’re the only Grimm we have right now and you can’t just let a killer wesen stay on the loose.”</p><p>“…You need to stop listening in on phone calls,” he said, smiling wryly.</p><p>“Not my fault Renard speaks so clearly over the phone,” she sniffed.</p><p>Nick smiled but sighed again. “…I’ll go. <em>If</em> you agree someone comes to check on you during the day.”</p><p>“Nick…” she warned.</p><p>“Because I can see your arms.”</p><p>She froze then looked down. She forgot she was wearing short sleeves. The deep scratches along her arms were still healing and with them crossed, it wasn’t hard to tell she did them herself. She put her arms down, flushing a bit. “It cleared my head when it got bad…”</p><p>“I don’t want you having to clear your head like that,” he said seriously. “Someone can come check on you and make sure nothing’s wrong. I’ll feel better that way. Monroe, Rosalee, someone you know obviously.”</p><p>“…Fine,” she sighed.</p><p>He nodded and went to get dressed. Sloane looked up and narrowed her eyes at Collin, who had been behind Nick. “Trouble in paradise, love?” he asked snidely. “Or are you worried what you might do to him if you’re together all day?”</p><p>Sloane didn’t answer, going to finish her coffee.</p><p>-----------------------</p><p>When Nick got to the precinct, Renard called him and Hank into his office. He turned on the TV he had wheeled in that was usually used for presentations. “This just came on, regarding why I called you in.” He turned it on and brought up a saved news story from just a little while ago.</p><p>“The Diamond Lake Monster: fact or fiction?” the reporter said to the camera, standing in front of an old cabin that had advertisements for boat rentals all over it. Canoes, row boats and the like were set up outside, as well as life vests hanging from a display.</p><p><em>Diamond Lake Monster? Seriously? </em>He thought.</p><p>“Early this morning, Allan Eiger and his wife were out fishing on Diamond Lake when he was confronted by that very question. The answer cost him his life. Some locals claim this gruesome attack is the work of the mysterious Diamond Lake Monster. Much like the supposed Willamette Wild Thing, a creature spoken of but usually dismissed—until a body was discovered.”</p><p>Nick and Hank both frowned, knowing the truth, but Renard held up hand to let the story finish.</p><p>“Could this be a local legend come to life? The victim's wife took this startling image during the attack.” The screen went to a side by side view of the reporter and a photo of what appeared to be a man with scales and spines swimming in the water of the lake. It wasn’t completely clear because as fast as he was going, a bow wave was being sprayed up over his face. But it was obvious whatever this was, was not completely human.</p><p>“Are you kidding me?” Hank asked, looking at Renard in disbelief.</p><p>“No. Everyone was already on edge because of the Wild Thing, this has made them even more on edge.”</p><p>“But Sloane didn’t kill that man! It was Grosvenor!” Nick said.</p><p>“But we have no way to prove it,” he sighed. “This one though, isn’t Grosvenor. I got word he’s actually left the country.”</p><p>“What? Why?”</p><p>“That I don’t know yet,” he sighed. “But I doubt he’s going to just give up. Whatever got him to do it must’ve been important. Now we have this to deal with though,” he gestured at the photo. “I got a call from Sheriff Parcell. He knows you've had luck with some of these…strange cases. He requested your help on this, and that’s why I called you in.”</p><p>“Thinking this lake monster is Wesen?” Hank asked.</p><p>“I don't believe in monsters unless they're people. And this one is guilty of murder.”</p><p>Nick sighed and nodded. “We'll check it out.”</p><p>They headed to the lake straight from the precinct. On the way they passed a sign for Diamond Lake that had a green, scaley creature on it reminiscent of the <em>Creature from the Black Lagoon, </em>and all too similar to that photo. It looked older though, at least a couple of decades. They met Sheriff Parcell there, who was an older man with salt and pepper hair and hawkish features. He gave them the details on what happened: Allan and his wife Elizabeth had come to the lake to do some fishing and enjoy nature. Elizabeth says they saw something in the water and it was swimming around them before hitting the boat. Allan had a gun in his tackle box and fired a few shots in hopes to get it to leave mainly. But then it hit them harder, causing her husband to fall in, where he was attacked and killed.</p><p>Nick looked out on the lake, which seemed peaceful now even with all the police cars around. Deceptively so. But it reminded him of the memory he’d seen in Sloane’s mind before, of Diedre “teaching” Sloane to swim by just tossing her into the lake. <em>Sloane isn’t a fan of lakes and oceans…probably good she didn’t join us for this one, even if I wish she could.</em></p><p>“Do you think it was a monster?” Hank asked, drawing Nick’s attention back to the conversation as they walked towards where Mrs. Eiger was being looked after by some of the paramedics more to help her nerves.</p><p>Parcell sighed and shook his head. “I don't know what to think. This lake monster's just a local big fish story like the Loch Ness Monster or Ogopogo. Somebody shot a blurry photo back in the '60s, started the whole legend.”</p><p>“Has this legend ever attacked anybody before?” Hank asked with a quirk of his brow.</p><p>“I checked the records. There were a half dozen sightings over the last 40 years, but nobody was ever hurt. Working theory is that somebody dumped a pet gator that got too big. Fish and Game's out on the lake looking for it with sonar.” He nodded to boats currently slowly trawling the lake. “There was another sighting last week. I figured it was someone using the interest in that “Wild Thing” running around to try and drum up interest.” He glanced at the boat rental shop again. “But now I don’t think that’s what it is. Killing someone is too far.”</p><p>Nick nodded in agreement. “We'll talk to the victim's wife.” Parcell nodded, going to help with some of the other parts of the investigations. They walked over to the car where Mrs. Eiger was waiting with a blanket around her, looking very shocked and stricken. She looked up at them uncertainly when they got to her but answered their questions as best she could. Essentially something in the water kept bumping their boat and circling them and her husband took the handgun from his tacklebox and fired. Then the creature rammed them to force him in the water, and killed him there.</p><p>“I got a theory,” Hank said as they were walking towards the shop where they rented the boat.</p><p>Nick quirked his brow. “What?”</p><p>“She's Wesen.” His other brow went up but Hank pressed on. “Kills her husband, dumps the body overboard, blasts off a couple rounds, blames it on the Diamond Lake Monster.”</p><p>Nick considered it but shook his head. “That doesn't explain the photo she took.”</p><p>“Well, somebody's Wesen.” Nick couldn’t argue with that.</p><p>They went into the shop, which was bustling with activity. Nick knew it was an inevitability that tragedy and mysterious deaths would bring the morbidly curious and adventurous in flocks.</p><p>“Lake monster sure isn't hurting business,” Hank said, noting the people coming and going, getting T-Shirts and hats and other paraphernalia with the monster already printed on it. Given the age of the sign it was possible they were already made up, but it felt a touch gruesome still. Inside some people were browsing and checking out, and two men were behind the counter. They were both similar with their wheat-blonde hair and beards, one a bit taller and reedier than the other. Nick went up to them, nodding. “Hey. I'm Detective Burkhardt, this is Detective Griffin. We need to talk to you.”</p><p>The men immediately looked a little antsy. “Um, we're sort of a little busy,” the taller one said, looking at all the people in the shop.</p><p>“Well, you rented the boat to the victim,” Nick pointed out.</p><p>“We just have a few questions,” Hank added.</p><p>“Okay, okay, hold on,” he said. He was a bit flustered but finally looked at the other. “Uh, just take over.”</p><p>“Okay…” He said hesitantly. The taller man came around the side and led them over to a corner of the shop to talk.</p><p>“What's your name?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Wayne Dunbar. That's my brother, Oliver,” he gestured back at the man checking people out. He quickly went on before they could ask a question. “Look, we heard what happened, and it's terrible. And we called 911.”</p><p>“Did you or your brother see anything unusual on the lake this morning?” Nick asked.</p><p>He shook his head thoughtfully. “Nothing out of the ordinary.” He looked at them and again went on before being prompted. “Well, the Eigers took the boat out about 7:30. About an hour later, we heard gunshots, then we heard her screaming. And we ran down to the water, called 911. Our first thought was she shot her husband!”</p><p>Hank looked at Nick who resisted rolling his eyes. “So you don't believe in this lake monster?”</p><p>He smiled wryly. “Well, we do sell a few items that suggests that it does exist…But have I ever seen it? No.”</p><p>“You have a pretty brisk business here,” Hank pointed out.</p><p>“A lot of gawkers showed up after the attack, folks looking to get a glimpse of the monster. It's pretty macabre, but we appreciate the traffic,” he admitted.</p><p>“Yeah…interesting it showed up when everyone was getting into that “Wild Thing”,” Nick said.</p><p>Wayne flinched a little but smiled tightly. “Well, ours has been around longer. It just…stayed quiet for a while.”</p><p>Nick was pretty sure he hit a nerve but nodded. “How long have you owned the business?”</p><p>He sighed, thinking. “Parents opened it about 50 years ago…Me and my brother took over about five years ago after they passed away.”</p><p>“Your parents ever see the monster?” Nick asked.</p><p>He laughed a little. “Oh, my dad swore that he did. Twice,” he held up two fingers for emphasis. “Yeah, he's the one that started the whole hat and T-shirt thing.” He turned and walked over, reaching to grab a photo from the wall near the office door. “This is a picture that he took of it right here. All my life, I wanted to see this thing…”</p><p>They all looked back when they heard something shatter. Oliver had been picking up a mug with that same picture on it from counter in the back of the register and dropped it. “Oh, sorry!”</p><p>Nick watched as he moved to pick up the pieces, but then woged—brown fur, weasel-ish face, but short almost flat ears. <em>Otter? Wait, I’ve seen that one before…</em></p><p>“Oliver!” Wayne sighed in frustration. “Excuse me, I got to help my brother.”</p><p>Nick and Hank headed out the door and Nick spoke quietly once they were away from others. “Brother's Wesen.”</p><p>“What?” Hank asked in surprise.</p><p>“The one who dropped the mug. He woged when he bent over to pick it up.”</p><p>“Look anything like the lake monster?”</p><p>He shook his head, frowning. “No. I think he's a Luisant-Pêcheur, looks sort of like an Eisbiber. More otter though.”</p><p>“You think they're involved?”</p><p>“I don't know. I mean, they sure are benefitting from it.”</p><p>Hank nodded, heading for their car. “Let’s go check them out.”</p><p>---------------------------</p><p>Sloane sighed as she flipped through the channels. One thing she didn’t anticipate was being <em>bored</em> now that she was back in the city. But without being able to go on cases or research, or hunt and gather, she didn’t have enough to take her mind off of the fact she felt useless. And the visions were being strangely quiet.</p><p>The doorbell buzzing made her sit up and go look to see who was there. She smiled when she saw Monroe, Rosalee and Trubel all gathered at the front door. She was about to hit the button to let them in when she heard a voice behind her. “You sure that’s them?” She hesitated and frowned, resisting glancing back. “Sloane…you can’t trust your own eyes or ears right now. How do you know it’s them?”</p><p>“…The same way I know you’re dead, Antonio,” she sighed.</p><p>“Who’s fault is that?” he whispered in her ear and she flinched a little at how close he felt. Her skin prickled like it really was his breath on her neck.</p><p>“You wouldn’t say that to me,” she said, shutting her eyes tightly. “You’re not real.”</p><p>It went quiet and she sighed and pressed the button to let them in and sent the elevator down.</p><p>When they came up, Trubel smiled widely and ran over. “Sloane!”</p><p>She smiled back and hugged her hard when she threw her arms around her. <em>Yeah, this is real…</em> “Trubel!”</p><p>Trubel squeezed her. “I’m so glad you’re okay...I mean…”</p><p>“Monroe and Rosalee told you?” she sighed.</p><p>“She came by the shop,” Rosalee said.</p><p>“Yeah, Meisner told her you were alive but she ran off before he told her where you were or what’s happened, apparently,” Monroe said.</p><p>“I thought you might be with them,” Trubel said, shrugging a little.</p><p>“Well, you weren’t far off,” she smiled, ruffling her hair a little.</p><p>Rosalee smiled and tilted her head. “Huh…you know, with your natural hair color, you two really could pass for sisters now.”</p><p>Sloane and Trubel looked at one another. “I’m good with that,” Trubel said, smiling a little tentatively.</p><p>“Me too,” Sloane chuckled. Trubel smiled more and hugged her again with one arm around her shoulders. “I figured you guys would check up on me too.”</p><p>“Well, Nick did mention we should drop by…” Rosalee nodded. “How are you doing?”</p><p>“My demons are behaving for the most part,” she said.</p><p>“So, wait, they said you were seeing things?” Trubel asked.</p><p>“Yeah. People I’ve killed mostly…”</p><p>“That sounds…bad,” she said, flinching at the somewhat underwhelming word.</p><p>“It is…sleeping brings some pretty vivid dreams too…”</p><p>“Oh, I brought this,” Rosalee said, reaching into her bag to pull out a cannister. “Mix a tablespoon with water, it’ll help you sleep.”</p><p>Sloane smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate it.” She set it down in the kitchen. “You guys want lunch? I was going to make something. I’d like to catch up more too.”</p><p>“Sure, sounds great,” Trubel smiled. Sloane nodded and opened the fridge only to gasp shrilly and close it again fast.</p><p>“Sloane?” Monroe asked.</p><p>“…So…I disposed of a guy in a fridge once…”</p><p>“…You saw him in there?”</p><p>“Yeah…I…I know he’s not actually there,” she sighed. “I do. But it caught me off guard…Especially when he said the milk’s gone off…”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Rosalee said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “We understand…”</p><p>“Yeah. Why don’t I go pick us something up? You girls have…girl time.”</p><p>All three looked at him uncertainly but Rosalee smiled and patted his arm. “Sounds great, sweety, thanks.”</p><p>He nodded, heading back to the elevator. Sloane sighed and they led her to the couch. “I hate this…No matter how many things they show me, or telling myself it’s not real, it just keeps throwing me off…”</p><p>“Hey, I spent years thinking I was seeing things. I get it,” Trubel said.</p><p>Sloane smiled a bit but sighed, fingering one of the scratches on her arm. <em>If I found out this was real though…I’m not sure what I’d do.</em></p><p>--------------------------</p><p>Nick and Hank ran background checks on the Dunbars when they got back to the station. It was easy to determine they were pretty heavily in debt and in trouble with the IRS. They owed enough taxes there was a lien on the boat shop and the house they lived in. It was obvious that the monster was drumming up business at a suspiciously opportune time. But Nick was sure that neither were their killer given the picture Elizabeth took. When Hank proposed maybe they hired some outside help, Nick nodded in agreement. But they needed to know what kind of wesen they were dealing with.</p><p>Nick dialed Monroe. “Hey Nick!”</p><p>“Hey. Are you guys at the shop?”</p><p>“Ah, no, we’re still with Sloane at your place. We’ve been hanging out and she’s doing pretty well we think. Few minor moments where she say she saw something but we got her through it.”</p><p>He sighed a bit in relief. “I’m glad to hear that, but I need your help on a case now. Did you hear about the Diamond Lake Monster?”</p><p>“Oh yeah,” he sneered. “I mean, we’re becoming a regular Cryptid Cavalcade here.”</p><p>“Well that’s the case Hank and I got called in to look at. We’re positive it’s Wesen, but we’re not sure what kind.”</p><p>“…Well, Sloane’s right here and it’d be whatever’s in her books, you want me to ask?”</p><p>“…Okay. I’m going to text a couple of pictures.” He pulled the phone away to quickly text the photo the victim’s wife shot as well as one he’d taken of the sign and a T-shirt. He heard Monroe bringing the phone over to her and Sloane’s voice came through a moment later.</p><p>“You’re on speaker. So this is what you think you’re dealing with?”</p><p>“Yeah. Seen one before?”</p><p>“Unfortunately yeah,” she sighed. “Pretty sure this is a Wasser Zahne. It’s like if a Skalengeck grew webbed hands, gills and became even more insufferably prone to fighting. These things can kill unprovoked and provoked they’re even worse.”</p><p>“I think I saw one of those in South America,” Nick heard Trubel say.</p><p>“Trubel?”</p><p>“Hey, yeah. I booked it over here when Meisner told me the news. Well, I went to the shop first and then Monroe and Rosalee brought me over.”</p><p>“That’s good,” Nick nodded. “They fill you in on everything?”</p><p>“I think so. Oh, and Meisner is getting that book Jul…Eve had when they brought her in. He should have it by tomorrow.”</p><p>“Great,” he sighed. “That’s some good news.”</p><p>“Not that I’m not relieved too, but back to this case,” Sloane said. “Nick, Wasser Zahne are near unbeatable in the water. You need to fight this guy on land. Don’t engage if he’s in the water, okay? He’ll be fine but it would slow you down.”</p><p>Nick nodded. “Makes sense…I still have to find out who it is though. We’ve got a couple of Luisant-Pêcheur brothers running the boat shop making money off of interest in the creature.”</p><p>“Those I’m not as worried about. Though they are fast in the water they’re not nearly as dangerous.”</p><p>“Good to know. I’ll be home a bit later; we can’t do much with the boat shop closing for the night. I’ll bring some dinner. Chinese sound good?”</p><p>“Sounds great,” she said, smiling.</p><p>“Monroe, Rosalee and Trubel should stay, I’ll get them something too.”</p><p>“You sure? We don’t want to impose,” Rosalee said.</p><p>“It’s not imposing. I haven’t had dinner with you guys in a while, it’ll be good.”</p><p>Monroe smiled. “Sounds great then.”</p><p>“Little Beijing is on the way home, text me your orders.”</p><p>“Will do.”</p><p>Nick hanged up and looked at Hank. “Feel like Chinese and a big group dinner?”</p><p>“Sounds great to me,” he smiled.</p><p>Nick nodded and looked up when he saw Renard walking out of his office. “Where’s the Captain going?”</p><p>“I think he’s been helping out with the campaign his friend is doing. That Andrew Dixon guy.”</p><p>“Oh yeah…seems like a good guy. Wonder why he’s friend’s with Renard…”</p><p>“Hey, he’s not that bad,” Hank laughed.</p><p>“He’s not exactly upfront about what he does usually,” Nick said. “I can’t help but feel he thinks of us like puppets…or chess pieces.”</p><p>“Chess pieces sounds classier at least.” He sighed. “I get what you mean though…He always seems like he’s got his eyes and hands everywhere.”</p><p>“Not to mention how he was when he got those coins…I wonder if that’s his real personality sometimes.”</p><p>Hank shrugged. “As long as he’s on our side, is it a bad thing?”</p><p>“I think he’s on Renard’s side…”</p><p>The headed out after finding appropriate places to stop for the day and grabbed the food after ordering online. Nick was happy to get home and have everyone greet him. It was the first time in months he was looking forward to dinner. He didn’t really have a dining table but Sloane had the idea to grab a blanket and the pillows and have an indoor picnic in the living room.</p><p>“This was great idea,” Rosalee said, smiling as she ate out of her container leaning against the pillows.</p><p>“Oma would do this when it rained sometimes,” she smiled.</p><p>Nick smiled, thinking about some of the memories of Sloane being younger he saw when he was in her mind.</p><p>“So…Trubel told us a bit more about Hadrian’s Wall,” Monroe said.</p><p>Nick paused and glanced at her, and Trubel quickly chewing her bite of sesame chicken. “Did she?”</p><p>“Yeah. Apparently they’ll be contacting us soon now.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“They want to see if they want to come onboard,” Trubel said. Nick frowned and she held up her hands. “Not my idea. I mean, I know you guys can hold your own, but you help Nick enough already. But since you now have firsthand knowledge of Black Claw, they thought you might be able to help more.”</p><p>Sloane frowned. “I’m not sure I like that…”</p><p>“Me neither,” he agreed.</p><p>“Have you decided if you’re going to join? It’s been months,” Rosalee asked.</p><p>“…Honestly, no.” He looked at Trubel. “I’m glad you’re doing well and getting paid and all that, but after what they did to “Eve”, I’m just not sure how I feel about them…”</p><p>“I know I feel leery as hell,” Hank said, not mincing words. “I mean, they took Sloane too…were they planning to reprogram her after they got her checked out?”</p><p>Sloane frowned. “Not liking that idea…”</p><p>Trubel nodded slowly. “I understand…it kind of shook me up a bit. And I know they do want Sloane to join too. It’s you guys’ choice what you want to do, I don’t blame you if you want to stay free agents, so to speak.”</p><p>“Yeah, we're feeling a little tentative,” Monroe nodded.</p><p>“I think whatever we decide, we all decide the same thing,” Rosalee said.</p><p>Hank nodded. “We are in this together.”</p><p>They toasted with their takeout containers and nodded in agreement.</p><p>----------</p><p>Grosvenor came off his private plane on the secured hangar, stretching. Bosch was waiting for him, arms folded. “You came back quick.”</p><p>“It wasn’t that hard,” Grosvenor said. Behind him, two burly men opened the cargo hold and began pulling out barrels. “You got me through customs after all.”</p><p>“I just had a lovely distraction for them. Several pounds of heroin in a random passenger’s luggage does that.”</p><p>Grosvenor laughed but motioned for one of the barrels to be brought over. He used his strength to pull the lid off without much problem and handed it to the man. Inside was thousands of small, red, round bead-like beans. They were bright red, like fresh blood, and for a moment Bosch’s eyes matched them but he huffed and shook his head. Grosvenor smiled and dipped a hand in, pulling up a hand full. “Like the color, my friend?”</p><p>“I just want them to work.”</p><p>“What are they supposed to do?” the hunter asked, letting them trickle out of his hand back into the barrel.</p><p>“Bunch of scientific mumbo jumbo. We found a doctor that can utilize it for us.”</p><p>“They remind me of black-eyed peas…Makes me want to break out the cornbread and hot sauce,” he joked.</p><p>“I wouldn’t eat them. Very poisonous apparently,” Bosch said.</p><p>“Duly noted…You’re not poisoning a bunch of people are you?”</p><p>“Not exactly. If you want to see, I’ll send you the address and you can come by soon to see the testing phase. If you’re not busy hunting down the beast again.”</p><p>“Well…I have a few leads at least,” he smiled.</p><p>----------</p><p>In the morning, Nick heard Sloane change back again. She’d changed and stayed in the room after the others left just before sundown. He wasn’t sure how to approach her when she was in that form still so he let her and went to bed early as well. On the bright side he got a decent amount of sleep for once. He was fixing coffee when his phone rang—there had been another attack late last night according to Sheriff Parcell. A teenager. Sighing, he said he would be there soon.  He walked over and knocked on the bedroom door. “Sloane?”</p><p>There was a bit of shuffling and he heard her on the other side. “Yeah?”</p><p>“I got a call that there was another death at the lake. I’m going to head out. Coffee’s brewing in the kitchen.”</p><p>The door cracked open and Nick froze when he realized she hadn’t changed into clothes yet after changing back. The sheet was wrapped up and it reminded him of statues in museums where the fabric was draped tightly around them. Strangely it was more attractive than he remembered, but part of that might’ve been the barest hint he could see through the crack in the door making it feel so private yet mysterious. “…Should I come with you? …Nick?”</p><p>“Huh? Ah! Um, well…I think there’d be a lot of explaining if you did…” he said, looking away awkwardly.</p><p>“…Yeah, you’re right,” she sighed, looking down. She looked frustrated and disappointed, but also resigned.</p><p>Nick flinched, not liking that expression, and reached up pat her hand on the door frame. “I want you out there with us, trust me. But I want you at your best—when you don’t have to worry about what you’re seeing or hearing. I’ll be alright.”</p><p>She smiled tiredly and nodded. It wasn’t happy but it was accepting. “I’ll see you later then.”</p><p>He nodded and went quickly to take a cold shower and get dressed.</p><p>When he got to the lake, Hank met him and they met Parcell. Apparently a group of college freshman had come out for the weekend the night before, thinking the monster was just a story. A girl, Lea Sommerby, had swum out to tease the boy she was trying to flirt with, Kevin Williamson. She’d thought there was no danger as she taunted him to follow her. The horror when she saw something swimming around him made him think she was just acting—until he was pulled under. She’d been too scared to swim back, screaming for her friends until someone finally heard her from the campsite and they called for help. They recovered Kevin’s body early that morning.</p><p>Nick wanted to confront them, but didn’t want to show his hand as a Grimm too soon. Sloane was on some serious time restraints. But there was a third option in town still luckily. And Trubel was all too happy to play the part of a Grimm bounty hunter looking for a Wasser Zahne come evening. The Dunbar brothers never expected that and it was easy to intimidate them into giving up their plan—but no one was supposed to die. The man they hired, Logan Cobb, went too far. And now he was extorting them. Cobb was returning at around 11:30 that night to get more money out of the brothers, but the money was hers if she took care of him. She said she’d be back then and went back outside. Hiking a short way up she got back into Nick’s car to relay the information. She asked what they should do and though Cobb murdered two people, they couldn’t prove it was him or arrest him. So that left one option really…</p><p>They didn’t count on Wayne Dunbar being as underhanded as he was though. He’d hoped to have Cobb kill her brother, then Trubel would kill Logan and he’d be the sole survivor and get all the money for himself to go start over. He hadn’t counted on Nick, Hank and Trubel watching as Logan arrived early and interrupting that. He wasn’t surprised she was there—Wayne had warned him saying Oliver hired her—but he was surprised she was a Grimm. After a skirmish on the shop floor, wrecking several shelves, Trubel broke Cobb’s neck with her bare hands. Wayne slid the money over—then another bunch as payment if she killed his brother. Oliver was shocked, but both were when Nick and Hank burst in. Wayne tried to pin Logan’s body on Trubel, but they didn’t buy it. Revealing Nick was also a Grimm, Wayne woged then panicked and ran to the office door from where he was behind the counter, locking the door behind him. Oliver said there was a back door through the office and they should head around to catch him. Nick and Hank did, Trubel staying with Oliver just in case. They saw Wayne shedding his clothes haphazardly as he ran for the closest dock. Woging, he dove in to try and swim away.</p><p>“No way am I following him in there,” Hank said, eyeing the murky dark water.</p><p>“He’s gotta come up some time,” Nick said.</p><p>“I see it, it’s there!”</p><p>Both their eyes widened as search lights on the fish and game boats lit up and then gun shots rang out, firing into the water. “…How do we explain this?”</p><p>Nick grimaced and sighed, knowing this wasn’t going to be a rough morning in the making. So they decided to call it a night and act surprised when the call came in tomorrow. Oliver was distraught that his brother was dead, but resigned as well. The last moments together were not exactly full of brotherly love. After a bit of muscling by Trubel, he agreed to pin the idea and the monster on his brother and Logan wearing prosthetics and taking things too far, then jumping into the lake to try and get away after accidently killing Logan in a fight.</p><p>When Nick got home it was nearly two in the morning. He figured Sloane was asleep in her room, but was surprised to see her large bestial form stretched out in the living room. She was softly breathing in sleep. He hesitated a moment but walked over to her. The TV was on, set to the classic movie channel. <em>I guess she couldn’t sleep? How did she turn the channels?</em> He looked around and found two pencils—and a couple of broken ones—and the remote on the floor. He picked them up and then had to smile as he realized she used the pencils to hit the buttons with a little trial and error. He looked back at her and knelt down by her face. She wasn’t a cute beast. She wasn’t even “handsome”. But he didn’t see her as ugly or terrifying. He’d seen much worse wesen—though there was usually still a hint of the human beneath. Sloane’s curse pushed her all the way into an animal form with the mind of a human.</p><p>Reaching out, he hesitated but set a hand on her back. <em>Her…fur, I guess, is soft… </em>Sloane groaned slightly at the touch and flinched. She cracked an eye open, then started when she saw him. “Hey, sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you…”</p><p>She huffed slightly, then yawned. He got a good look at her teeth when she did and besides the larger ones that stuck out from her mouth there were several other sharp fangs and crushing molars inside. She could really do some damage. She gave a curious whine and he sighed and sat down next to her. She looked surprised but settled back while he got comfortable next to her. “It didn’t go how we’d hoped…”</p><p>-------------------</p><p>Nick woke up on the living room floor. He hadn’t remembered falling asleep, he’d just been telling Sloane about what happened he was sure. But thin morning sunlight was streaming through the windows now and he grunted as his mind started cranking up. When his eyes focused, he could see Sloane’s human face just a few inches from his own.</p><p>His eyes widened. When had she changed back? He hadn’t heard her. Usually it was such a painful process. But she was there, sleeping peacefully, wrapped up in a blanket again. He reached up slowly and moved the white lock of hair aside to see her face better. She didn’t wake up this time, still sleeping deeply. He smiled a little, glad she was resting up so well. She’d seemed pretty tense still last night. The smile faded a little when he saw a scar along her shoulder. And another along her side. <em>She’s had to deal with a lot over the years…it’s no wonder she sees such gruesome stuff in her visions. I wonder how she’s managed to live so long like this…</em>He wasn’t really thinking as he trailed his fingers over the scar across her shoulder. Much too close to her neck. She hummed then, shifting a little and Nick felt his heart rate speed up as the blanket started slipping—</p><p>Nick’s phone rang and he cursed, quickly turning to grab it from his pocket before Sloane woke up and saw him being creepy. <em>What the hell was I doing?!</em> He heard her groan as she woke up and he sat up and answered the phone. “Burkhardt…”</p><p>“Mr. Burkhardt? It’s me.” Meisner said.</p><p>Nick calmed. “Meisner.”</p><p>“I have the book. Where would you like me to bring it?”</p><p>“Um…I’ll be heading into work soon; can you drop it off at the station?”</p><p>“…I can try. Have you given thought to our offer?”</p><p>Nick sighed. He glanced back at Sloane, who was sitting up with the blanket wrapped tightly around her, rubbing her eyes. He stood and headed for his room. “I still have a lot of reservations…”</p><p>“Regarding Eve?”</p><p>“Among other things,” he said, losing patience a little bit. “I’ll help where I can with Black Claw, but don’t go printing my name on a membership card or whatever.”</p><p>“I understand. We’ve been tracking more and more activity coming towards Portland by Black Claw. You don’t have to join officially, but a…alliance would be beneficial for both of us. I’ll let you know where to meet for the book.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>They hanged up and Nick sighed a little as he got some fresh clothes and walked out. He was sure he’d be getting a call about Wayne Dunbar and Logan Cobb soon too. Sloane was walking towards her room with the blanket around her but froze when he came out. “Uh…Good morning…”</p><p>“Good morning,” he said, trying to stay calm. “You…sleep well?”</p><p>She nodded. “Y-yeah, um, I guess we both fell asleep in the living room, huh? Uh, but you had a busy night, I don’t blame you. Not that there’s anything to blame you for…”</p><p>Nick blushed and coughed. “Yeah, nothing at all…Um, I’m going to head into work, I’ll grab breakfast on the way.”</p><p>“Okay. I’ll see you later.”</p><p>“Right.” He headed to the elevator, waving a bit as he headed down. He still felt a bit strange for what he did but he told himself it was just a strange moment.</p><p>Sloane went to get dressed while he left.</p><p>“You knew he was touching you,” Collin said.</p><p>She paused and then sighed. “It was just on my shoulder…”</p><p>“You’d have still killed a lesser man…”</p><p>“He’s not a lesser man then.”</p><p>Sloane gasped when it felt like dozens of hands were suddenly on her, brushing over her skin all over. “Maybe you like it…I used to say you were a cold fish, but maybe there’s a bit of a slag in you after all.”</p><p>“Stop it!” she shook herself, shuddering as the hands left. “You always pestered me for it! Hated taking no for an answer! Is it any wonder it was a turn off!?”</p><p>She didn’t hear an answer and looked around. Collin was gone. He was dead, she knew, but she still felt dirty. <em>I need to take a shower…</em></p><p>Nick meanwhile got to the station with coffee and doughnuts for him and Hank and sure enough, got the call about Wayne and Logan’s body. They’d had to wait till morning to fish Wayne out of the lake and everyone was shocked to see he was the one that was shot. Nick was a bit worried leaving the station because he didn’t want to miss Meisner’s delivery of the book. But he wasn’t sure how long he could stall.</p><p>“Detective Burkhardt?”</p><p>Nick looked up, surprised to see a delivery person in a brown uniform. “Uh, yes?”</p><p>“Here you are, sir,” he handed him a letter. Nick took it and looked at it curiously, but the delivery man left before he could ask.</p><p>“Getting love letters at work?” Hank teased.</p><p>“I don’t think that’s what this is,” Nick said, opening it up. He took out the note which said <em>Meet Me Outside, corner by the flower shop. Hydrangeas. </em>“…Gotta make a quick stop before we got to the lake. I’ll meet you at the car, it’s nearby.”</p><p>“Okay…” Hank said, eyeing him. They headed out and Nick quickly walked across the street and down to <em>The Flower Spot, </em>looking up what the heck a hydrangea looked like on the way. He walked in and saw Meisner pretending to browse nearby. Meisner looked up, but didn’t acknowledge him, instead moving further down. Nick walked over to the Hydrangeas he’d been in front of and saw hidden among the tightly packed sprays of blue and pink blooms was a small green book splattered in what looked like dried blood. He tried not to grimace but reached out and grabbed it to quickly put it in his jacket pocket.</p><p>“Finding everything alright, sir?”</p><p>Nick tried not to jump and turned to see a female employee looking at him curiously. “Uh…yes, fine. Just…trying to pick out flowers for my girlfriend.”</p><p>“Special occasion?” she smiled.</p><p>“Uh…no?”</p><p>She smiled. “Well, how lucky she gets flowers for no reason! Do you know her favorite?”</p><p>“Honestly, no…um, it’s…new. The relationship I mean.”</p><p>“Okay…well, if it’s new, I think roses might be a bit intense. And overdone, to be honest.” She walked over to a fridge and pulled out a small bunch of pink and white flowers that had many petals all together. “Camellias I think are beautiful and send a more subtle message.”</p><p>Nick blinked. <em>I think…were those in that garden Sloane started at her house?</em> “…Yeah, I like those.”</p><p>“Great! I think she will too.” Nick nodded, following her to the counter. He caught Meisner’s eye and he quirked a brow. Nick just shrugged, unsure how else to explain his presence. Meisner rolled his eyes.</p><p>After paying for the flowers, he went back to meet Hank at the car. Hank quirked a brow as well. “…I mean, I’m flattered Nick, but I’m more of a candy guy honestly…”</p><p>Nick rolled his eyes. “I had to meet Meisner at the flower shop to get Juliette’s spell book. The shop girl caught me off guard, but I got it.” He patted his jacket.</p><p>“Oh, that’s good.”</p><p>“Yeah. You think these will be okay in the car for a while?”</p><p>“Why, you want to keep them?”</p><p>“…I thought Sloane might like them,” he said, blushing a little on reflex.</p><p>Hank blinked now but smiled. “I think she will. And they should be fine while we wrap up things at the lake.” Nick nodded, setting them in the back before they drove off to basically lie through their teeth about what happened.</p><p>When Nick came home one day though things were a bit…chaotic.</p><p>“Whoa!” He froze when he walked in to see Adalind, Angela and Henrietta were in his living room, surrounding what looked like a giant mound of long, dark brown hair.</p><p>“Oh…hey Nick,” Adalind said, grimacing. The mound of hair seemed to straighten and then groan.</p><p>“What…is going on?”</p><p>“Uh…Attempted cure number one,” Henrietta said.</p><p>“…Cure for what, baldness?”</p><p>“Can it, Burkhardt…”</p><p>Nick blinked and then want closer, parting a bit of the hair—with a white stripe going through it—to see a very put out Sloane. “Oh…”</p><p>“Yeah, oh.”</p><p>“I was hoping this would at least stop her transformations, but it just ended up making her hair grow…Interesting though,” Angela said.</p><p>“Interesting is one word for it, I suppose,” she said tightly.</p><p>“You look like Cousin It’s goth sister,” Nick said, trying not to laugh. She shot him an annoyed look and he sobered. “It’s not going to keep growing is it?”</p><p>“No, we managed to stop it,” Henrietta said. “Though not before cutting all that off already.” He looked where she pointed and blanched at a large black garbage bag that had a few strands still poking out of it.</p><p>“Yikes…”</p><p>“Hey, look on the bright side, you don’t have to wait for your hair to grow out anymore,” Adalind said. Sloane sighed, trying to lighten up at least a little bit, but Nick saw the look of disappointment on her face.</p><p>“Curse breaking like this is a process,” Henrietta said gently. “We’ll keep working on it.”</p><p>“I might have a use for all this hair too,” Angela said. “I can run some experiments on it.”</p><p>“Great…”</p><p>“But first, let me give you a trim,” she smiled. “I know how to style hair really nicely, I promise.”</p><p>“Can’t get much worse than this…” She followed Angela into the bathroom.</p><p>Nick looked at the other two witches as they cleaned up a bit more. “So this was just the first attempt, right?”</p><p>“Right,” Henrietta nodded. “We’ll keep trying…we might need to find a sort of band aid for the time being.”</p><p>“Band aid?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Like a treatment, not a cure,” Adalind supplied, sweeping up a little more hair. “It won’t be permanent or fully effective but it would help.”</p><p>“Would the book Juliette had help?” He pulled it out and held it up.</p><p>“Oh, yes, it…would,” she said, taking it and then grimacing as she fingered the blood near the corner. “Wow…it’s, um…” Nick had the same look when he checked it out, realizing she must have had it in her jacket were the crossbow bolts hit. Henrietta sighed as well as she looked at it. Adalind opened and at flipped through a few pages. “…Oh, this makes a bit more sense…”</p><p>“What does?”</p><p>“I think this was a thief’s book. Basically someone must’ve been getting close to various hexe and copying their best spells for their own use. Really frowned upon.”</p><p>“Like stealing a chef’s secret recipe for your own book,” Henrietta explained.</p><p>“Okay…how’d she get it though?”</p><p>“My best guess would be Kenneth,” Adalind sighed. “Likely the thief put the book on the black market and Kenneth got ahold of it. Or he might’ve been working for him, who knows. But considering the timing I’m sure he had something to do with it.”</p><p>Nick nodded, having to agree. “So you can make a cure now, right?”</p><p>She sighed, Henrietta shaking her head. “We’ll try, but it’s not as easy as that. She’s combined spells I’m sure, which is complicated and means undoing it will be complicated too. But this will help for sure.”</p><p>Nick nodded, understanding but frustrated. “Do you guys want any dinner?”</p><p>“Thank you, but I have plans,” Henrietta said.</p><p>“I appreciate the offer, but I need to get home to Diana,” Adalind nodded. “I promised to grab dinner for your mom on the way home.”</p><p>“…Burgers?”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>“Her favorite,” he smiled.</p><p>The bathroom door opened and Angela stepped out with a long braid of hair in her hand. “I still think you should’ve gone longer…”</p><p>“I’d get too many questions eventually about it,” Sloane said.</p><p>“Hair extensions exist!”</p><p>“And again, too many questions about why and how and where and all that.” She stepped out and Nick smiled a bit at her hair being its original shoulder length again, maybe a little longer. That gentle wave was back to her hair again too. Even if the color was different, it gave her that same silhouette he remembered.</p><p>“I think it looks good,” he said. Sloane smiled at him.</p><p>“Okay, I know when I’m beat,” she sighed, dropping the braid into the bag and tying it up.</p><p>“Good news is we have the book,” Henrietta said.</p><p>“Well, Nick did,” Adalind said.</p><p>“Meisner got it to me,” he clarified.</p><p>“Oh, yay! That’ll make things easier hopefully, even if it’s just finding the band aid,” Angela said.</p><p>“I look forward to seeing what you come up with,” Sloane said honestly.</p><p>They nodded, heading for the elevator and waving on the way down.</p><p>Sloane rubbed over her hair. “…Does it really look okay?”</p><p>Nick looked at her and smiled. “It’s different, but it looks good. You want to dye it again?”</p><p>“…Maybe. It’s weird seeing this in the mirror,” she fingered the white streak. “I didn’t like it because it reminded me of Oma…and Dierdre.”</p><p>Nick sobered and reached up to brush his hand through her hair. “It’s up to you. You looked good as a blonde; you look good like this. Either way you’re still you.”</p><p>Sloane stared up at him then smiled a bit. “Thanks…little cheesy though.” He snorted and flipped her hair and she smacked at his hands with a laugh. “By the way, you’re home kind of early?”</p><p>“Yeah, not much as far as resolving the lake monster case. Then Meisner called and I got the book to drop off—Oh yeah!” He quickly went over to the elevator, Sloane watching him in confusion. He came back with the flowers, that were luckily still fresh despite being in the car half the day. He’d left them on the rail in the elevator in surprise when he’d seen the hair monster. He held them up, smiling.</p><p> Sloane was confused, looking at them with blinking, owlish eyes. “…Camellias?”</p><p>“Yeah, Meisner wanted to meet at a flower shop and there was some confusion but, uh…I thought you might like them.”</p><p>She was surprised but then reached up to take them slowly. Maybe she thought this was another hallucination for a moment, he wasn’t sure. But she gripped them and brought them up, smiling. “They’re…beautiful. My grandmother had them in her garden. They all ended up dying though when I left…”</p><p>“You were trying to grow some at your house though? I mean I thought I saw them.”</p><p>“Yeah. It was kind of nice actually, I used to help her in the garden when I was little…camellias don’t really have a scent but I think they’re as pretty as roses or prettier.”</p><p>Nick smiled. “Yeah…I think you’re right.”</p><p>------------------</p><p>A week passed and Sloane and Nick got down a routine. Up at dawn, breakfast, a little time to chat, then Nick would got to work. Monroe and Rosalee would check in regularly via phone or in person at lunch. Depending on when Nick got home he would bring something as take out or he and Sloane would cook together before the sun went down. They had to forbid her from cooking alone after Rosalee came in and found she’d nearly burned down the kitchen because one of her visions tricked her into thinking things were fine. She hadn’t even smelled the smoke from the stove trying to make a grilled cheese. Sloane had been frazzled after that for a while and nearly ran away, fearing she’d do something else that dangerous. But they stopped her and calmed her down. Now they cooked together and it was actually even nicer. He hadn’t cooked much since living on his own. They’d agree on a recipe, Nick would hit the store if they needed anything, and they’d split up the work. Sometimes it didn’t turn out quite how they planned but they’d end up laughing at silly mistakes and it made him happy to see her feeling normal again for a while before she changed for the night. Even then she’d gotten more comfortable and after a few days wouldn’t hide in the room the whole time. They’d even started watching movies with her lounging on pillows on the floor and Nick on the couch. Some nights they made a game of seeing how much popcorn the other could catch with their mouth. Sloane had a slight advantage in her beast form though. And then it would cycle back around.</p><p>---------------------</p><p>“There’s a tunnel here?” Sloane asked, watching Nick open the door.</p><p>“Yeah. And there’s a door at the other end. A big metal one.”</p><p>“…That sounds suspect as hell.”</p><p>“I know. But I want to know what’s on the other side.” He started climbing down and she peered down as he did, flashlight stuck in his waistband. When he tried to turn it on though it flickered and didn’t light. “C’mon…” he muttered, smacking it. When he had it on he jumped when he realized Sloane was right next to him. “Gah! You didn’t need to come down here…”</p><p>“Yeah, I did. This is the start of a horror movie; we’re not splitting up.”</p><p>“…Touché,” he muttered.</p><p>The light flickered again and Sloane held her phone up and turned on the flashlight. “There’s also this. Maybe you should have a more dependable light source if you're going down there.”</p><p>“Thanks,” he sighed, heading further down the tunnel. Sloane looked at the brick archway frowned a bit, wondering who built this and why.</p><p>“You sure about this?”</p><p>“About what?”</p><p>“Going down here…What if the door at the end of the tunnel isn't supposed to be opened? What if it's locked for a reason?”</p><p>“Oh, it's been locked for a hundred years,” he said, getting to the door. Sloane eyed it suspiciously.</p><p>“Some very bad things live a very long time…”</p><p>“That’s why I wanted you to stay upstairs and lock the door.”</p><p>“Nick,” she said, warning in her tone.</p><p>“I'm kidding,” he said, though he’d been slightly serious. “Look... if we ever do get in any problems here, I want to make sure we have another way out. This could be it.”</p><p>“…I do like the idea of secure escape route,” she sighed. He nodded, moving to try and move the rusted handle again. “…It kind of reminds me of a submarine. What if there's a lot of water on the other side, and we drown?” she asked.</p><p>“Not helping!” he grunted.</p><p>“Oh, you want help?” she asked teasingly. He grunted, trying to push the wheel again and summoning his Grimm strength. Sloane managed to set her phone against a few loose bricks where the light would reach them and got to try and help him, positioning her hands either side of his. Nick felt his heart beat faster as she had positioned herself basically <em>into</em> him, with her back to his front.</p><p>“Um…maybe get on the other side and pull?” he suggested, trying to keep his voice steady.</p><p>“Ah, right.” Swinging around, he sighed in relief and they positioned their hands again. Taking a deep breath, they started trying to push and pull the wheel. Sloane grunted, trying to use her strength, but the wheel refused to turn. “Damn! This thing <em>is</em> stuck! You sure it wasn’t welded?”</p><p>“I’m sure,” he huffed. “I’ll get some tools, maybe we can loosen it.”</p><p>“Oil would probably be good too…” she sighed.</p><p>He smiled and made a squeaky, almost rusty sound. “Oil can?”</p><p>She rolled her eyes but smiled. “You got too much heart to be the Tin Man.”</p><p>Nick blushed but then frowned. “Wait, are you saying I need a brain or courage?”</p><p>“Hmmm…Well, you are definitely ballsy, so…Scarecrow it is.”</p><p>“Hey, I’m very smart,” he said. Sloane was just smiling and then pointed to his cheek.</p><p>“You got a little something there…” Nick frowned and wiped at it, then realized he had rust all over his hands and likely smeared it on his face.</p><p>“Oh, ha ha…”</p><p>Sloane laughed, the sound echoing in the hall. They both gasped when her phone went out, the timer on the light done. “Shit! Hold on, I’ll find it…”</p><p>“Careful,” Nick said, trying to get his eyes to adjust. Even with Grimm vision it was near impossible to see down there. Maybe he should leave some better flashlights or some battery power string lights down there, just in case.</p><p>Sloane knelt down and felt where her phone should be. She frowned when she didn’t feel it immediately and moved a little further. Then she felt a hand around her wrist and gasped.</p><p>“Sloane?” Nick asked, still behind her.</p><p><em>Not now, not down here</em>, she thought, closing her eyes. <em>It’s not real, it’s not real…</em></p><p>“Sloane?” another voice asked in front of her. It was familiar and for a moment she smelled the scent of wisteria and cloves and it caught her breath. Her eyes popped open and she could see, in the dim light, the pale hand around her wrist. “Come back, please….Sloane…I’m sorry…” she said. The owner of the hand pulled on her hand, moving across the ground till she could see the long black hair. A pale face peaked out from behind the curtain of hair but even if she couldn’t see it clearly she knew who it was. But she’d never seen her in the white kimono she wore now. “I’m sorry…”</p><p>“Let go!” She yelped, trying to wrench her hand away. She landed back on her butt with a thump, breathing hard. She still felt pressure around her wrist and looked to see the woman’s severed hand still holding on. She screamed.</p><p>“Sloane?!” Nick said, moving forward.</p><p>“I’m sorry…” the woman said again, trying to pull herself forward. “Please…” Sloane felt her stomach rolling as she crawled up to her. Her teeth were black she realized, and her eyes white and lifeless. “Please…I love you…”</p><p>The light suddenly came back as Nick had found her phone, and the figure was gone. But Sloane was shaking, her eyes wide and tears coming to her eyes.</p><p>“Sloane?” he asked. She paled more and then stood, running for the ladder. “Sloane!” He was surprised to see her scale the ladder in a second and followed her quickly. When he got to the top, he heard the door to her room close. He went over quickly and knocked on the door. “Sloane? Are you okay?”</p><p>“Leave me alone!” she said. Nick was surprised, thinking she was almost crying.</p><p>“Was it a vision? Sloane, I…can I help?”</p><p>“No…I…I just need some time,” she said. “Please…Please leave me alone…”</p><p>Nick felt helpless. He was tempted to open the door anyway but sighed and rested his head against the door instead. “Okay…just…let me know if you need anything.”</p><p>Sloane didn’t say anything. She was resting against the door, trying hard to get under control. <em>It was a long time ago…she was never like that…she’s not even dead…why would I see her like that?! </em>Realizing she was shaking she hugged herself and drew her knees up. <em>I just want this to be over! Every time I think I can handle it, they throw something new at me!</em></p><p>She stayed like that for a while, maybe an hour, when Nick knocked on her door again. “Sloane? I got a call for a case…are you okay?”</p><p>“…Yeah…I’ll be fine…” she said, more tired than anything.</p><p>“Okay…I’m setting your phone outside the door. Text me if you need anything.”</p><p>“…Okay.” She heard him set the phone down and then leave. Sighing, she stood and to rinse her face, picking up the phone to put in her hoody pocket. She hesitated but sighed and took the elevator down. Going to her boxes of things, she started going through them till she found an old metal toolbox. Inside wasn’t tools though but pictures. Some were of her and the gang, others of places she’d visited, all put into bundles by some sort of theme. She pulled out one bundle and sat down, undoing the band and smiling at the first picture of a Japanese temple. Flipping through, she wrinkled her nose and tossed aside a few of Collin. This was where they had split ways, in a city down near Nagasaki called Oita. And flipping through, she finally found the picture she was looking for. It was of her and a Japanese woman just a little younger than her—she’d been 18 and Sloane was 20 when they met. She was wearing a cute outfit of a long skirt patterned skirt and orange sweater and Sloane was wearing her usual darker jeans and a T-Shirt. She was giving the peace sign and Sloane was smiling a little uncomfortably because she wasn’t used to having a selfie taken. On the back was a message in Japanese, but she could read it still.</p><p>
  <em>Sloane, smile more! I expect a big smile next time! Love, Kazumi</em>
</p><p>She sighed, leaning back against the boxes with the photo in her lap.</p><p>She wasn’t sure how long she was down there—it only seemed like an hour—but she jumped when the garage door opened and instead of morning light it was late afternoon. <em>Shit, was I just here spacing out for hours?!</em></p><p>“Sloane?” Nick asked, stepping out of the car.</p><p>“Hey, uh…I was just going through some stuff,” she said, putting the photos away. She hesitated but put Kazumi’s photo in as well and closed it up.</p><p>“Did you need help?” he asked, testing the waters.</p><p>“No, I found it. You did it by room after all.”</p><p>“That was Monroe’s idea,” he said with slight smile.</p><p>“Of course it was,” she said, amused as well. “…Sorry about this morning.”</p><p>“There’s no reason to apologize,” he said immediately. “I was just worried about you…”</p><p>“I know. I just…sometimes I need a little time to process what I see…”</p><p>“…It really seemed to affect you this time…”</p><p>“…It was someone…I hadn’t thought about in a long time. And she was pretty scary…Seeing her in person would’ve been a shock too…We didn’t leave things on a great note…”</p><p>Nick could tell from the look on her face she wasn’t ready to go further and put a hand on her shoulder. “Well…it plays on your fears. Maybe that’s part of it?”</p><p>“…Maybe…I wouldn’t even know how to get in touch though…”</p><p>“You’ll think clearer soon. Want to go make dinner?”</p><p>She sighed but nodded, heading with him to the elevator. She noticed he had a file in his hand. “You’re bringing work home?”</p><p>“Ah, kind of…I wanted your input on something.”</p><p>“Is it that Black Claw thing?”</p><p>“Not sure, exactly…We found, uh…a crucifixion?”</p><p>“…Huh?” Nick opened the file and showed her the picture to show her. Sloane winced and took it. The man in the photo had been strapped to a large wooden cross and then slicked across the abdomen to bleed out. “Oh damn…”</p><p>“Yeah,” he sighed. “We found this carved on the back.” He handed her another photo as they got to the top and stepped out. It showed a triangle carved into the back. “We were able to figure out it’s Greek, from like 495 B.C. and means water. Ring any bells?”</p><p>“…Actually…Yeah,” she said, looking at it and the picture. “I might’ve had something in one of my books, but I don’t know if it would’ve survived. But It feels like I’ve seen this symbol and a cross ritual like this in them.”</p><p>“Really?” he asked, figuring it was a long shot.</p><p>“Yeah, but I can’t remember regarding what,” she said.</p><p>“Well…what books we saved are at the shop. How about we go there tomorrow.”</p><p>She looked at him but her brow puckered in worry. “I don’t know, Nick…”</p><p>“We’ll all be there, it’ll be okay,” he said.</p><p>“…Okay,” she nodded, smiling. Nick smiled as well, knowing she was probably getting pretty stir crazy being in the house. Maybe a change might help.</p><p>“Let’s get cooking then, before you change.”</p><p>She sighed and nodded, setting the photos on the counter while they went to pick out what to make.</p><p>-----------------------------------------</p><p>Nick came home a little earlier in the day to pick her up, with bad news. Another homeless man had been found in the basement of an apartment complex. He’d been there for at least a couple of weeks they determined and had been killed the same way, but with a different symbol left behind: Three swirls connected in the middle. A triskelion, Sloane knew, because Collin had a tattoo of one on his arm. A Celtic symbol that meant water as well—or, more specifically, 'the trinity of earth, air, and water’, dating back to at least 3,200 B.C. from what Nick found out.</p><p>Entering the Spice Shop’s basement, Hank was there already. Rosalee smiled and walked over, hugging Sloane. “It’s good to see you out and about!”</p><p>“Thanks,” she smiled, hugging her back. It made her feel better she had to admit.</p><p>“Nick mentioned something happened with your hair, I see what he means,” Monroe said.</p><p>“Not as bad as when I change into a creature,” she said. “Hair is <em>everywhere, </em>then.”</p><p>“Preaching to the choir,” he grinned. He walked them over to the table nearby. “Hank showed us the pictures and…well, with these symbols... that cross almost looks like a...”</p><p>“I can’t believe it would be that,” Rosalee said. “That stuff's ancient history.”</p><p>“What is?” Nick said, still marveling at how they could read each other’s minds.</p><p>“Fuilcré rain rituals,” she said. “They involved runes and crosses and blood.”</p><p>“You know, the usual cult ritual hoopla,” Monroe added.</p><p>“Hey, what is a Fuilcré?” Hank asked.</p><p>“Kind of a bovine... ish, ox like fellow,” he said, looking at Sloane.</p><p>She nodded. “Sounds familiar…” Sloane said. Rosalee turned the book around. It was a little singed but showed a wesen with long, twisty horns and a bovine-like face goring a man on a cross to pour his blood on the ground. “That one, yes! Collin let me copy this page from one of his books. They did this ritual?”</p><p>“Yeah. Actually, they are one of the first to self-domesticate and cultivate the land for food instead of, you know, hunting Kehrseite. I mean, they’re not strict carnivores but they used to raid their villages for food till they figured out they could do it themselves.”</p><p>“…Progressive,” Hank said, looking at Nick and Sloane with an unsure look.</p><p>“Yeah, sure. Until you consider the human sacrifice factor,” Monroe said.</p><p>“Whenever the crops weren't doing so well, they'd perform this ceremony to bring rain,” Rosalee clarified.</p><p>“So it was a rainmaker?” Nick asked, slightly bemused.</p><p>“Supposedly works for droughts like the one we're in now. It’s been such a dry summer and fall…”</p><p>“Yeah, but guys, really, this stuff is seriously ancient history,” Monroe said. “I mean, the last Fuilcré ritual was like 500 years ago, give or take a century.”</p><p>“All right, so why'd they stop?” Nick asked.</p><p>Monroe and Rosalee looked at one another and Monroe sighed. “Grimms.” Nick and Sloane glanced at each other then back at him. “According to legend, any family that continued the practice was wiped out. I mean, like down to the last child wiped out. A little severe, but got the job done, that's for sure…”</p><p>“While I agree killing children is on the no list, you think that’s severe compared to this?” Sloane said, tapping the picture.</p><p>“…Point taken.”</p><p>Nick pulled the book over and pointed at two symbols on the other page. The triangle and the triskelion, among several others. “These two runes were at the last crime scenes.”</p><p>“This says, "The last recorded Fuilcré ritual was in 1596,” Monroe said. “I couldn’t read the passage though, it’s in like Middle Irish or something.”</p><p>They looked at Sloane but she shrugged. “I copied it from Collins’ book because it looked interesting but I never got the chance to translate it…”</p><p>They all sighed but Rosalee pulled it over. “Let me see…Well... "Do-fortbaither ind fhuil for talmain immar uisce," translates to "And the blood will spill on the Earth as water."” All of them blinked and looked on in surprise. “"Ocus dolbfait inna secht n-idbarta a narathar." "And the seven sacrifices will form The Plow," I think? I don't know, the next pages are burned.” She looked up to see everyone staring at her and smiled in a bit of awkwardness. “My mother's family is Irish. I spent a lot of summers there as a kid. …There was no TV.”</p><p>“Wow... just when you think you know somebody,” Monroe said, smiling dreamily at her.</p><p>“Wait, did you say <em>seven</em> sacrifices?” Sloane said.</p><p>“Yes…” she said, checking again.</p><p>“Well, if we've found two, then there are five more,” Hank said, dread growing.</p><p>“I think you need seven to form The Plow...Whatever that means,” Rosalee said.</p><p>“Well, that means there's going to be five more murders, if they haven't happened,” Hank said.</p><p>Nick’s mind was racing, trying to find anything to grasp on to that could bring them a lead. “…Both crime scenes used the exact same type of wood. 6x6x12 beams, so if we're talking seven crosses, that means someone out there is buying a lot of that kind of wood.”</p><p>“I'll have Wu check the lumberyards,” Hank nodded.</p><p>“What can I do?”</p><p>Nick and Hank looked at Sloane and then tried not to grimace. “Um…well…”</p><p>“Coming here to research is one thing, Sloane, but I don’t think you’re ready to go in the field yet…” Nick said.</p><p>She glared a little. “You wanted me to help!”</p><p>“I did—I do,” he amended, holding up his hands. “But…look, it’s almost evening, I should get you back home. We can pick up food on the way and I…I’ll keep looking into things.”</p><p>She frowned but sighed and stood, heading up the stairs. Rosalee watched her go sadly and looked at him. “She’s still seeing things?”</p><p>“Yeah. She freaked out really bad a couple of times the last few days. I think their getting to her but she doesn’t want to admit it…”</p><p>“Are Adalind and the others making any actual progress?” Monroe asked.</p><p>“I think so?” he said, though he was unsure.</p><p>“I’ll come by tomorrow, see how she’s doing,” Rosalee said.</p><p>“I think she’d like that.”</p><p>They heard a crash and rushed upstairs to see Sloane pressed up against the wall, panting. “Sloane?”</p><p>She jumped and blinked, looking at the broken jar on the floor. “I…sorry, I just…thought I saw my grandmother,” she sighed, covering her face in a shaking hand. “I jumped and hit the shelf. Y…You’re right, I’m not ready…”</p><p>Nick frowned and went over, putting his arm around her. “It’s okay…”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s fine,” Rosalee said, grabbing the broom.</p><p>“But the jar…” she said, looking at it guiltily.</p><p>“I’ve got more dried sea nettles in storage too,” she said. “Go home and rest. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”</p><p>She sighed but nodded, following Nick out.</p><p>“She’s pretty jumpy…” Monroe said.</p><p>“I don’t think she’s sleeping well, whatever she says,” Rosalee sighed. “I know she’s using the tincture I gave her…Then again, if I was seeing what she sees I’d be a nervous wreck too.”</p><p>Monroe nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Hopefully something will help fix it soon…”</p><p>---------------------</p><p>Dr. Ahn nervously shifted his feet, with Bosch next to him staring stonily at the window. The window didn’t look outside but instead into an airtight room with a man inside. The man was strapped to a chair and looked nervous as well, shifting and trying to get out of the straps.</p><p>“I-is that necessary?”</p><p>“You said it might make him unstable. Just a precaution,” Mike said. “Well?”</p><p>Dr. Ahn sighed and clicked the buttons in front of him. From a nozzle in the ceiling overhead, a fine orange mist sprayed down. The man ducked his head, the sound not traveling out thankfully as he yelled. The mist wafted around him and for a moment nothing seemed to happen. Bosch made a discerning growl and Ahn cowered for a moment. Then the man threw his head back and woged into a bauerswhein. He looked even more alarmed, trying to get out of the bonds. Dr. Ahn turned on the speaker. “Mr. Wexle?”</p><p>“What did you do to me?!” he yelled back. “Why am I woged?!”</p><p>Mike smiled wolfishly and turned the speaker off as he squealed. “And there we are…looks like you did it, Doctor. A forced woge.”</p><p>He swallowed. “Is this really something your group wants?”</p><p>“Oh yes. We’re not going to stay to the shadows much longer…Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to have a little “pulled pork”.”</p><p>Dr. Ahn paled and quickly backed out the room as Mike headed for the door to the testing room. He covered his ears to the screams and rushed back to the lab that was now his room. He hadn’t been home in weeks, had no way to contacted them. No way to warn them. Or to ask for help. He had to figure out something!</p><p>He paused though when the screams sounded different—not like the bauwershwein’s squeal but more like the frightened yelps and howls of a blutbad. Turning, he went back cautiously to the room. He gasped and fell back in fright when he saw the room splattered in blood. But rather than the blutbad, it was the bauwershwein sinking his teeth into flesh and ripping it up with inhuman strength. Mike’s screams turned to gurgling. The bauershwein took his mouth from his neck and looked up, eyes crazed. “I’ll kill you…I’ll kill all of you!” He slammed his body against the wall and Ahn gasped and tried to scuttle back but hit a pair of legs.</p><p>“What the hell?” Dr. Ahn looked up to see Bosch staring in shock at the room, Grosvenor next to him several others coming running. “Mike?”</p><p>“W-we have to get him out of there!”</p><p>Grosvenor shook his head. “I don’t think that will do much good…the man is good as dead.”</p><p>Bosch shook his head slowly. “What the hell is that pig doing?” They jumped again when he slammed his body against the glass again, breaking it. His arm was cut up but he tried push through, making them worse, focusing on them like he wanted to break them in two. Grsovenor pulled a gun from his waist band and fired. The first shot did nothing as he kept trying to push through, breaking the glass with his bare hands. Four more shots, one just above his eye, finally got him to stop and fall back into the room. “Okay…qu'est-ce que c'était que ça!? What the <em>hell</em> was that?!”</p><p>“I-it must be a side effect! I-it’s like pcp, it increases aggression and dims the body’s pain and limit receptors! We cannot use this on anyone!”</p><p>“Well, how long will it take to work out?” Bosch asked.</p><p>“I don’t know! It was all theoretical before! I need time to research it and fix it!”</p><p>Grosvenor sighed, holstering his gun. “Well…that’s a bit disappointing.”</p><p>Bosh was shaking his head, thinking.  “I told the boss it would be ready for the end of the month. For Halloween. That’s like a week away. We got a plan and everything.”</p><p>“Well, it will make quite a scary scene,” Grosvenor said blandly.</p><p>“Yeah…yeah, it will. So I guess we’ll just have to go as is.”</p><p>Dr. Ahn went cold. “Y…you can’t be serious…it could turn into a blood bath!”</p><p>“Agreed, bit extreme there,” Grosvenor said.</p><p>He shrugged, smiling as if he didn’t care that his friend was lying dead in the next room. “Well…it’ll get the message across. Plus, you might get some publicity. Save people from more monsters.”</p><p>Grosvenor quirked a brow but chuckled. “Well, when you put it like that…”</p><p>“Y…you’re both crazy!” Dr. Ahn said. “I won’t do it! Not anymore!”</p><p>“Oh, you will, Doctor,” Bosh said. “Or I’ll send some of my monsters to visit your wife and son.” Dr. Ahn shook and then looked down. Bosch smiled and patted his head patronizingly. “That’s what I thought. Now get to it. I got an idea how to spread this stuff around…”</p><p>-------------------</p><p>This wasn’t a good idea, she knew. Leaving alone wasn’t a good idea. Nick, Hank and Wu could handle things. Another body had been found that morning and Nick had rushed to go check out the scene. He was keeping her updated and they’d already determined the man was another homeless person.</p><p>And that was bugging her. The fact that this person was targeting homeless people. They had a man, Mark Holloway, as a suspect but they’d brought him in the day before and had to release him because the new victim was killed just last night. Meaning that someone else was killing homeless people. Which reminded her of the camp near the bridge. Maurice, Sweetpea and the others. She just wanted to make sure that no Fuilcré was tempting them, maybe warn them to tell others not to go with anyone offering money for an unspecified job.</p><p>So after Nick left she found the keys to her car and drove towards the woods. <em>Just drive slow…slow and easy…</em></p><p>“You know, this is dangerous. You could hallucinate an 18-wheeler coming at you. Or hallucinate not seeing that red light,” Antonio said from beside her. His shirt was still bloody from where Amy shot him.</p><p>“…Why would you warn me. You want me to freak out.”</p><p>“We can’t torture you if you’re dead,” he said. “But others could be at risk too…like that pedestrian.”</p><p>Sloane’s eyes widened when a person appeared suddenly and she slammed on the breaks. Several honks sounded around her and the person’s eyes were wide and their hands were up, looking confused. She ducked her head, shaking a little at how close she’d come to hitting him.</p><p>“Oh, so close,” Antonio said, sneering a bit.</p><p>Sloane breathed deeply and turned into the nearest parking lot, driving to the far end around the side of the building. She breathed deeply and got out. She was close enough; she could get to where she wanted to go from there. Grosvenor had forced them to move, but she found a nearby shelter where she hoped they’d be in the cooler weather. It wasn’t far really.</p><p>Yet she ended up lost downtown. She kept retreading her steps—it was as though the streets changed to make her go in circles. Groaning, she covered her eyes. “Why did I think this was a good idea…?”</p><p>“To be fair, do you ever think things through?” Maria asked, leaning on a wall. No one else paid the bloody girl any mind since she was just in her head.</p><p>Sloane ignored her and kept walking, trying to figure out what to do. She was hesitant to drive again even to get home. And she wasn’t even sure she could find her car. <em>Maybe I should call someone…Ugh, but Nick is on that case and would either give me an earful or be annoyingly sympathetic. I just wanted to do one thing on my own again! One thing to help!</em></p><p>“That her?”</p><p>“Yeah, I saw her with that detective yesterday at that shop.”</p><p>Sloane heard the voices but it took her a second to realize they were real. By then, someone had tried to grab her and pull her back into an alley. A big hand was over her mouth so she couldn’t yell as they dragged her into it.</p><p>“Cuff her, quick!” The man holding her said. His assistant, a rather weaselly looking man, was moving to try and put handcuffs on her.</p><p>Sloane glared and brought her leg straight up then down in an axe kick on the man’s shoulder with a crack of collar bone breaking. He screamed, dropping the cuffs. Before the big man knew what was happening, she drove her elbow into his side, then brought her fist down into his crotch. He let go of her, hands going down to his bruised privates with a huff. Sloane grabbed his hair and lifted his head, glaring at him. “What the hell was this about?”</p><p>The man woged into a large malan fatal and his eyes widened. “Y-you’re a Grimm?! No one said there was another!”</p><p>Sloane glared and grabbed one of his sharp tusks. “Answer the question or I break your teeth!”</p><p>“I-it was Grosvenor! Rider Grosvenor! He wanted to know where that Wild Thing is so he sent us to get someone to use as leverage against that Grimm cop! We thought you were his girlfriend!”</p><p>Sloane glared and grabbed him by the shirt collar instead. “If you or anyone else tries something like this with me or anyone else Nick cares about, you’re all dead.” She then actually threw him down the alley. “Now get out of here before I just go ahead and do it!”</p><p>Both the men ran down the alleyway, limping and cradling their arms. Sloane watched them and then breathed out. She wondered for a second if she imagined that but hissed and looked at her hand. The Malan Fatal had nicked her fingers with that sharp tusk. <em>Real then…</em> Sighing, she pulled out her phone and decided to dial Rosalee.</p><p>“Hey, Sloane. What’s up?”</p><p>“Um…I need a favor. Can you pick me up?”</p><p>“Pick you up?”</p><p>“…I tried driving. Didn’t work out. And it’s getting late,” she realized.</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, no wreck. Nearly. But then I got turned around and…I can’t find my way back,” she admitted.</p><p>“It’s okay, find somewhere to wait and I’ll come get you.”</p><p>“Okay, thanks…I’m at the corner of Bell and Congress.”</p><p>“I can be there quick then. Why were you trying to drive though?” she said, grabbing her coat and keys from the sound of it.</p><p>“What Nick talked about reminded me of some nice homeless people I met when I was…living rough. I wanted to warn them and see if they knew anything, but that Grosvenor guy had them move. So I was going to check the shelter nearby and…stuff happened,” she sighed.</p><p>“…I can take you there. You should’ve asked for help.”</p><p>“I know, I just…thought I could do that much,” she sighed.</p><p>Rosalee didn’t press. “I’ll be there soon.”</p><p>“Okay…be careful though. I had another little problem I’ll explain when you get here.”</p><p>“Okay…Just wait there.”</p><p>Sloane sighed and made and affirmative sound before hanging up.</p><p>Rosalee came and got her with Monroe, who after a little hunting drove her car back home when they found it again. Sloane explained to them while they looked about the men that tried to grab her. Both of them were angry hearing about it but Monroe had to laugh a little that she still beat them pretty thoroughly.</p><p>Nick wasn’t amused though because he’d come home early to find Sloane’s car gone.</p><p>“Uh oh…you’re in trouble,” Rosalee said, wincing at Nick’s look.</p><p>“You make it sound like he’s my father…He’s more of a mother hen,” she added.</p><p>“He’s just worried about you,” she said, getting out of the car with her.</p><p>“Where were you?!” Nick said. “Do you know how worried I was when I came home and you weren’t here!?”</p><p>“…Okay, I see what you mean,” Rosalee said.</p><p>Sloane hummed but then sighed. “I’m sorry, Nick…”</p><p>He frowned but sighed. “I was about to blow up your phone. I just got here, so explain to me what happened?”</p><p>Sloane groaned at having to do it all again. “Can I get some water first?”</p><p>He nodded and then looked at Monroe and Rosalee. “You guys want to come up?”</p><p>“Yeah, sure,” Monroe nodded. “Did you find something out?”</p><p>“Kind of. But also, Adalind is here.”</p><p>“She is?” Sloane asked, looking up hopefully.</p><p>“Yeah. And she’s got something for you.”</p><p>Sloane immediately ran for the elevator. “Let’s get up there then!”</p><p>He smiled a little, glad she was excited. Heading up, Adalind was there and smiled. “Oh, hey, you’re back! I’m glad, Nick was freaking out.”</p><p>“I was not…”</p><p>“Were too,” she said. “You looked everywhere, even down in that tunnel thing, even though her car was gone. Yelling for her the whole time.”</p><p>Nick flushed. “I…was worried.”</p><p>Sloane smiled, feeling a little guilty for making him worry, and patted his arm. He looked down and smiled, patting her hand back.</p><p>Adalind eyed them both then looked at Monroe and Rosalee who seemed a bit surprised by how intimate it was as well.</p><p>“So…you got a little “Hexual Healing” for Sloane?” Monroe asked with a grin. Rosalee looked tempted to laugh but the others groaned at the pun.</p><p>“…I wouldn’t put it that way, but yes.” She pulled out a box from her bag. “We rigged this up over the last few days. Well…Henrietta and Angela did, I just offered to bring it. No magic. Anyway,” opening it, she pulled out black leather band with circular metal charm on it. The charm had several markings on it, but the main one that stood out was a vertical line with a smaller line crossing through at an angle. Sloane realized when she held it in both hands it was a choker of some kind. “It’s a band aid, so to speak. This has been enchanted to help mitigate your visions and keep you human at night.”</p><p>Sloane took it, looking it over with a bit of critique. “So this isn’t a cure…?”</p><p>“No, not yet,” she sighed. “Layered spells are hard to untangle. But wearing it during the day will help keep the visions back. You might see something out of the corner of your eye, but it shouldn’t be anything major. At night it’ll keep you human, but, uh…it won’t help the nightmares.”</p><p>“Great…” She sighed. “I’m sorry, that sounded ungrateful, I just…”</p><p>“I understand,” she smiled. “We want to get you cured too, but this is really hard to figure out. We’re basically fighting a curse with a curse at this rate, but it’s like a nice curse.”</p><p>“I think that’s called a blessing?” Rosalee said. Adalind shrugged, unsure herself since blessings were never her modus operandi.</p><p>“At least you’ll be able to sleep in the bed,” Nick said.</p><p>She nodded slightly. “True…Thanks, really. Do I just put it on?” She nodded and Sloane lifted the choker to her neck. She gasped as it suddenly clasped itself around her and she shuddered as she felt a wave of magic roll through her, like an icy breeze. The metal charm rested right in the hollow of her collar bone and the rune glowed briefly before dulling down to normal. “…Does this come off?”</p><p>“Not easily,” she admitted. “You can force it, but I wouldn’t. You don’t want it off right now anyway though, we’d have to rework it once it does. But it’s safe to shower in and all that.”</p><p>“It looks neat,” Rosalee said. “How do you feel?”</p><p>“…Actually…I feel good,” she nodded. “Pretty clear headed.”</p><p>“Good!” Adalind sighed. “We’ll keep working on an actual cure, but this will at least make things easier for you till then. Quality of life and all that.”</p><p>Sloane nodded and smiled. “Thanks, Adalind.” She smiled back, looking a bit proud. Sloane went and got a bottle of water from the fridge. “No bodies in the fridge, good start…” She grabbed opened the bottle and took a long swig.</p><p>“So, why were you out?” Nick asked.</p><p>She grimaced and sighed. “I got worried for some homeless people. All your victims have been homeless, and there were some nice ones that tried to help me when I was out in the woods. I wanted to warn them and maybe ask if they knew anything.” Nick softened a bit. It was a good reason really, even if he’d been pretty scared when her car wasn’t here when he got home. He’d worried something made her run away at best, that she’d be in a wreck at work.</p><p>“Victims?” Adalind asked.</p><p>“Yeah. We’ve had a string of ritualistic murders,” Nick sighed. “We’ve found two so far, men strung on up crosses with runes marked on the wood and gored.”</p><p>“…Like…with a horn?”</p><p>“Yeah. We think it’s a—” Monroe started.</p><p>“Fuilcré?” she asked.</p><p>They looked at one another then nodded. “Yeah. You know about that?”</p><p>She smiled a bit wanly. “When I was a Hexenbiest, freaky rituals are kind of our thing.”</p><p>“I had a passage on it but it got burned up a little,” Sloane said.</p><p>“We couldn’t figure everything out,” Rosalee nodded. “We know that there are seven sacrifices that form the image of a plow, but we don't know what the plow is.”</p><p>She sighed, accepting a bottle of water when Sloane offered it to her. “Well, Fuilcré religion revolved around stars and The Plow is what they called Ursa Major in England and Ireland.”</p><p>“Ursa Major like the Big Dipper?” Nick asked.</p><p>She nodded, taking a gulp. “Seven stars.”</p><p>“Wait…if they’re forming the image of “The Plough”…the killings are going to form a Big Dipper to match the constellation?” Sloane asked.</p><p>She nodded. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know all the details but it sounds about right. You know, the Aztecs had this ceremony built around Orion's Belt. It was called "fire drill." Why they called it that, I don't know. But every time Orion's Belt rose above the horizon, they would sacrifice a man on top of a pyramid.”</p><p>“Well…we don’t have any of those thankfully,” Sloane said.</p><p>She chuckled and nodded. Looking at her watch she sighed. “I better get back home. I’ve been doing some notary work while I figure out a new job and I’ve got a few things waiting for me.”</p><p>“Thank you again,” Sloane said.</p><p>She nodded, heading for the elevator and waving as she headed back down.</p><p>“So…we got a pattern, so to speak,” Nick sighed.</p><p>“Think it will help?” Rosalee asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I just gotta think how…”</p><p>“Well, it’s getting close to dinner time. Why don’t we order something and I’ll pick it up and we can see if this does keep you human? I could go for some vegan Moussaka if Greek sounds good to everyone,” Monroe offered.</p><p>“Uh…sure, that’s fine,” Nick said. “I’ll just do a gyro.”</p><p>“Same,” Sloane said.</p><p>“I’ll go with you,” Rosalee said. “Let you guys talk some more.”</p><p>Sloane wasn’t entirely thrilled but sighed and nodded. They headed out and Sloane sat to drink more water and try and rest while Nick emailed Hank what he’d found out. Afterwards he looked at her and then sat next to her at the counter. “Is there more I should know?”</p><p>She hesitated but then sighed. “Yeah…While I was out, I did have an issue driving and had to pull over. Then I tried to go on foot and got lost…” Nick frowned and she sighed and held up her hand. “I know, I know, I shouldn’t have done it when I’m like this, I just…wanted to do something. I was getting really fed up just being on the sidelines.”</p><p>He sighed and eased up slightly, sitting next to her at the counter. “I get that. But you could’ve left a note or texted me or something.”</p><p>“…I hoped I’d be back before you got home. Ask forgiveness rather than permission?” she said, smiling apologetically.</p><p>“It’s not asking permission, I’m not your keeper,” he said. “I’m just someone that’s going to worry about you. I lost you for almost half a year, I don’t want to lose you again…”</p><p>Sloane felt her heart speed up and then looked down. “I know…Um, that’s kind of what I was getting too,” she said, getting back to her original topic and shoving that emotion back. “Some men tried to kidnap me—”</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I broke one’s clavicle and the other is going to be walking funny for a long time,” she said, not really that worried.</p><p>“You don’t seem worried about this…”</p><p>“After months of seeing death and carnage that aren’t really there, flesh and blood men trying to accost me was rather refreshing,” she said blandly. “Also, not my first kidnapping rodeo. But they said they work for Grosvenor.”</p><p>A dark look came over his face. “So he’s back…and he figured out you’re the beast?”</p><p>“I don’t think so,” she shook her head. “One of them said that they saw me with you. They wanted me to use against you. I guess to try and keep you out of his way or tell you where the Wild Thing is.” <em>Not going to mention the girlfriend thing…</em></p><p>Nick glared at the thought and stood to pace a little. “That son of a bitch…I’m going find him and skin that tiger myself!”</p><p>“Nick—” she started.</p><p>“No, that man is insane! He’s killed once already, I don’t want to know what he planned to do to you, but he’s going to pay for it!”</p><p>“Nick, I’m fine!” she tried again, standing to go over.</p><p>“Yes, but the point is they want to get at me. So I’ll get them first! I’m not letting someone hurt you again! Or anyone else because of me!”</p><p>Sloane set her hands on his shoulders, messaging them reflexively when she felt how tense he was. “Nick, I get your angry. I’d be too. But focus, okay? Grosvenor isn’t our immediate concern.”</p><p>“He tried to kidnap you!”</p><p>“I think it was an opportunistic thing by his lackeys, they weren’t prepared. They didn’t know I was a Grimm either. They only saw us at the shop, they don’t know where we live. And I sent a pretty strong message not to mess with me or anyone else in our circle.”</p><p>He calmed slightly. “But he needs to be stopped.”</p><p>“And we’ll do that. But you got maybe five more guys that might be in danger and a killer on the loose crucifying them. Focus on that.”</p><p>He huffed but relaxed slowly and nodded. “Okay…but then I track him down and go Grimm on him.”</p><p>“I’m fine with that. Heck, I might be able to help now,” she smiled.</p><p>Nick smiled back. They stayed a moment, looking at one another, Sloane’s hands on his shoulders. Almost like they were about to dance or maybe... But then Nick’s phone buzzed and he jumped a bit, prompting her to take her hands back quickly. “I’ll…get that,” he said, going to pick it up. “It’s Hank. He wants to come over, he has an idea.”</p><p>“I’ll text Rosalee to grab another Gyro,” she said, grabbing her own phone.</p><p>-----------------</p><p>Grosvenor glared at the men across from him. “So let me get this straight…I send you to tail that Detective to see if he has the beast…and you decide the better thing to do is try and kidnap his woman?”</p><p>The two men looked down. “We thought it would make things go faster…” the smaller one said.</p><p>He growled, pinching his brow. “You two let your impatience almost get you killed, congratulations.”</p><p>“But boss, that’s the thing! She’s also a Grimm!”</p><p>He looked up, mildly surprised. “Hm…well, makes sense I suppose. Grimm and Grimm, seems natural. But again, you two messed this up. Because now the Grimm knows I’m looking for him, and looking for my monster. So I no longer have the element of surprise I was going for.”</p><p>“We’re sorry, boss!” The big one said.</p><p>“You will be,” he said, standing. He paced slightly. “I’ve got my advertisers breathing down my neck about the “Wild Thing” fiasco. Bad press, bad footage, and to top it off no trophy for my hunt. This? This added stress? I did not need!” He snarled, making them shrink. He sighed, stopping at the bar in his RV and pouring a shot of bourbon. “Did you find out where the Grimm lives?”</p><p>“No, sir, we didn’t want to push our luck…”</p><p>“Well, you better find out. Because now I expect you to get him, and find out where my beast is or I’ll hunt you,” he said, downing the liquor in one gulp.</p><p>They paled. “B-but sir, he’ll kill us!”</p><p>“Or she will! I got a busted shoulder; I don’t want to be killed!”</p><p>“You useless piles of slop would be better served dead!” He said, throwing the glass and making them flinch. “I asked for more help and Black Claw sends me Laurel and Hardy?! Honestly, grow some balls!”</p><p>“She nearly broke mine…”</p><p>“Then grow stronger balls! Go get the Grimm or hide your heads in the sand before I take them!” They both quivered and Grosvenor sighed. “You know what? Fine, I’ll make this simple. Get me one of his friends. I’ll take it from there if you’re too stupid to figure it out.”</p><p>“Y-Yes sir,” they said, quickly heading out.</p><p>----------------</p><p>Hank’s idea was to start plotting the murders on the map, to try and predict where they might try next. They ate their late lunch while going over the information and trying to figure it out. Because of the shape of the constellation, they needed a reference point to figure out where it all it goes. It was Rosalee’s knowledge that saved them, knowing the last star in the handle of The Plow is the star Alkaid, which in Arabic means Chief of Mourners. (Sloane questioned how she knew that and Rosalee blushed and admitted to having an astrology phase during one of her visits to Ireland.) The closest cemetery was Huntington Cemetery, so using that for a reference they plotted out likely places to look and notified Wu. Nick also remembered there was a meeting for Black Claw happening that day and they agreed that Monroe would try and infiltrate it that afternoon and get pictures.</p><p>They got word back as the sun was setting that a fourth, fifth and sixth body was found in different jurisdictions, all lining up where they predicted. Monroe also called. He broke down the meeting but he hadn’t been able to snap any pictures due to a little drama. Mark Holloway had come to try and retrieve his son from the meeting and had ended up roughed up and thrown out while he watched. Monroe managed to defuse the situation and get Mark out of there. But he got the feeling they were planning something for the end of the month, at Halloween. There were a lot of vague allusions to something happening to prove wesen dominance, but the man giving his speech never specified what.</p><p> Nick thanked him and hanged up, looking over his map again. “We just need confirmation from Huntington…It’s in our jurisdiction, unlike the others,” Nick sighed. He looked up, watching Sloane who was watching the sunset. “…How do you feel?”</p><p>“…Nervous,” she admitted. “I feel fine, but…what if it doesn’t work?”</p><p>“Then they’ll keep working and we’ll figure it out,” he said, standing to go over to her.</p><p>Sloane looked up at him, looking tired. “…I’m so tired, Nick…”</p><p>Nick frowned and reached up to hug her. “I know…”</p><p>“Aren’t you? Having to deal with me like this?”</p><p>“It’s not “dealing” with you. I’m just trying to help and keep you safe.”</p><p>“You shouldn’t have to—” She gasped and froze a little, the medallion lighting up a moment.</p><p>“Sloane?”</p><p>She breathed deeply but didn’t start changing. The medallion slowly faded and she breathed out. “…I’m still human…?”</p><p>“You are,” he smiled.</p><p>Sloane laughed in relief, patting over her face and her arms. “I haven’t been human at night in months!”</p><p>Nick smiled and then hugged her again, actually lifting her off her feet a little. “This is great!” Sloane blushed but smiled and hugged him back.</p><p>Nick’s phone rang again then and he sighed at being interrupted once more. Setting her down, he grabbed it and answered. “Wu?”</p><p>“Got a call from Huntington—there is no body there yet! I mean, nobody on a cross—you know what I mean.”</p><p>Nick’s heart ratcheted up. “Okay, then the end of the handle is last. I’ll meet you there.”</p><p>“Sounds good. How’s Sloane?”</p><p>He smiled. “Still human.”</p><p>“Awesome! Oh, gotta go!”</p><p>They hanged up and Sloane looked at him and was about to say something when he held up a hand. “No, you stay here.”</p><p>“Nick,” she glared.</p><p>“I want to be sure this thing works all night. If you change suddenly out there, we’re all in trouble.”</p><p>Sloane glared but sighed. “I hate when you make sense like this…”</p><p>Nick smiled and grabbed his jacket. “I’ll see you when I get home.”</p><p>“Okay…”</p><p>Sloane watched him go and sighed, sitting down. She’d had a whole afternoon without visions, she was human, things should be fine. Nick was worrying for nothing, really. But she didn’t want to push her luck again today, so she sat down and turned on the movie channel. She paused it a couple of hours later when she heard an odd sound—then stared at the window when it started to rain heavily. “No way…”</p><p>----------------------</p><p>Their perp ended up being Duncan Fargo, the man in charge of the lumber mill that sold the beams and also a Fuilcré. He had a man strung up and ready to sacrifice, but they stopped him in time. By killing him and spilling his own blood. The rain started soon after. If the stars wanted blood for their ceremony they weren’t picky about whose it was.</p><p>When Nick got home, Sloane was still up and still human. He explained what happened and Sloane sighed, glad at least no one innocent died again. She was hesitant to go to bed, since she was finally human full time again, but was yawning by the end with Nick. They went to bed in their separate rooms and Sloane sighed as she was finally able to rest on a bed again and curl up in the covers.</p><p>“Sloane?”</p><p>She opened her eyes and blinked. The room wasn’t the one she fell asleep in. But it wasn’t unfamiliar either. She sat up quickly, looking around in confusion at her old childhood room. “What…?”</p><p>“Sloane?”</p><p>She turned towards the door. “…Oma?” Standing, she opened the door and headed downstairs. It looked just how it did when she was a kid. This wasn’t right, she knew, but it didn’t feel like a nightmare.</p><p>“Sloane, Sunny, come outside!”</p><p>She paused at the stairs and looked towards the front door. Heading to it, she could see her grandmother waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “Oma? What are you doing here?”</p><p>“What do you mean? C’mon! I want to show you something. I tried to get your attention earlier but you were so scared.”</p><p>She frowned. “What?”</p><p>“It’s a surprise! C’mon, step on down!”</p><p>“This…isn’t right…”</p><p>“Sloane, it’s me. C’mon!” she said, waving her arms to join her. “Oh, your white streak is back! It’s good to see it. Let me have a closer look.” She frowned but sighed and moved to step down. As she did her grandmother’s face twisted into a face she didn’t recognize—like hundreds of faces overlayed together—and the voice was hundreds of voices she had heard over the years from wesen and human alike. “C’mon dear…come where you belong…”</p><p>“Sloane!”</p><p>She gasped when she felt Nick’s arms around her, pulling her back. She blinked up at the rain, confused why she was soaked through. Then she realized she was on the roof. And she’d been just about to step off to fall three stories down. “W…What?”</p><p>Nick was panting, holding her close. “You were sleep walking!” She shook as she realized how close she’d been to a swan dive down to concrete and Nick helped her up and back down into the apartment. “What happened?”</p><p>“I…I was dreaming, but it was…it didn’t feel like a nightmare, not till the end…I didn’t realize…” She covered her face. “I thought I was okay now!”</p><p>Nick frowned and rubbed her shoulders. “Adalind said your dreams might still be rough…”</p><p>“She didn’t mention them trying to outright kill me!”</p><p>Nick nodded slightly and sighed. “…C’mon.” He pulled her towards the door down.</p><p>“Nick, I don’t think I can just go back to bed…” she said, shivering at the chill of being wet from the rain.</p><p>“You’re not. But you need to change. Get out of those clothes and I’ll be right back.”</p><p>Sloane sighed but did as she was told, grimacing as her clothes fell with a wet slop sound. Drying off with a towel, she put on warm dry clothes again and sighed as she rubbed over her eyes.</p><p>“Sloane? You decent?”</p><p>“Uh…yeah.”</p><p>He opened the door and walked in to take her hand. Tugging it, he led her from that room over to his room. Sloane was confused, and blushed when he climbed into bed and patted the area next to him. “Lay down.”</p><p>“I…Nick, you can’t be serious,” she said, feeling much warmer now.</p><p>“I am. In the bed, now.” She hesitated but ultimately sat down on the edge. He sighed and tugged her shirt. “I’m not going to do anything weird.”</p><p>“This is all weird,” she muttered.</p><p>“I’m serious. Lay down. I’m going to make sure you stay in bed. Nothing’s going to hurt you.”</p><p>She looked back at him, feeling the earnestness in his voice. She slowly eased back and laid down next to him. It’d been a long, long time since she shared her bed with anyone. “…Goodnight?”</p><p>He smiled, nodding with determination. “Goodnight.”</p><p>They both lay awake for a little while, though with their eyes closed to try not to tip the other off. Eventually, despite her best efforts, Sloane fell asleep. And this time it was into a sweet, gentle, dreamless sleep.</p><p>In the morning she and Nick were cuddled close, his arm thrown over her and her body tucked against his. She blushed and tensed, her first instinct to back away. But another part of her, the part of her she’d tried to keep quiet, calmed her down and she slowly smiled and decided to enjoy the moment in secret. A little selfish moment to pretend again.</p><p>She didn’t know Nick had briefly woke up and thought the same thing.</p><p>----------------------</p><p>The next day Sloane hung around the loft still, trying to be sure nothing was messing with her. But no visions came to her. No past victims whispered in her ear or popped up in the shower. No Collin mocking her, or Antonio blaming her. No one touching her, yelling at her, pulling, pushing her…No visions of blood and guts and gore.</p><p>No, they saved that for at night. She didn’t change into a beast anymore, but it couldn’t protect her from nightmares and sleepwalking. They’d hoped that first night was just a fluke, but the next night Nick had to woke up to hear her walking towards the kitchen. He’d hoped it was just her being a bit hungry but after he’d heard the roof steps come down yesterday he was still a bit worried. When he came out, she was like she was before—eyes closed, walking with a slight sway as though listening to music. And her fingers were running over the handles of the knives in the knife holder. She pulled one and set her other hand on the counter, positioning the knife above with a stabbing hold.</p><p>Nick ran over and grabbed her wrist it quickly before she did anything, startling her awake. “Sloane!”</p><p>She looked up at him, then at the knife and dropped it with a clatter onto the floor. “What the hell?!”</p><p>He breathed out and sighed. “You were about to cut open your arm…”</p><p>She shuddered a bit, hugging her arm to her. He didn’t know what she’d been dreaming but she looked sick. “…Is this better or worse than before?”</p><p>He sighed and put his arm around her. “C’mon…stay in my room again. Then I can make sure you don’t go walking somewhere.”</p><p>She nodded slowly, following him to his bed. Climbing in, she looked at him tiredly. “I’m sorry, Nick…”</p><p>“There’s nothing to apologize for.”</p><p>“But…I’m such a burden for you. It’s like two steps forward, one step back and you still have to worry about me…”</p><p>Nick reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear to see her face better. She looked close to crying. “I worry about people I care about. That’s not new. I want you to be back to normal too, but I’m not opposed to making sure you don’t hurt yourself. You’d do the same for me. You did, in a way, when I kept losing myself because of the PTZD.”</p><p>She smiled a little. “…I had to stand on my own for so long. I know it’s okay, but I just…I want to be strong again.”</p><p>“Sloane, you are incredibly strong,” he said. “Anyone else I think would’ve been broken by now but you’re still going. You spent six months alone with this and still kept going. But you don’t have to be strong all the time. Let us take care of you…let me take care of you.”</p><p>Sloane looked up at him and then moved closer, tucking her head into him. “…okay.”</p><p>He smiled and covered them both up with his comforter so they could sleep.</p><p>---------------</p><p>“It’s making you sleepwalk?” Henrietta asked over the phone.</p><p>“If it was just sleepwalking I might not be as concerned,” Sloane sighed. Nick was cooking breakfast and she’d opted to call one of their witches that morning to see what she thought. “The first night I tried to sleepwalk right off the roof.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Yeah. And last night I sleepwalked to the kitchen and apparently nearly stabbed myself though the hand. Maybe the wrist, I don’t know. Nick was able to stop me both times.”</p><p>“Oh dear…I knew there was a possibility of your dreams not being safe, but I didn’t think the curse would twist that much…”</p><p>“Twist?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Sometimes trying to fix a spell with another spell just alters the effects. So instead of visions and a physical change, the spell now…wants to kill you.”</p><p>She frowned, remembering Antonio’s illusionary-self saying that they didn’t want that. But the rules changed it seemed. “But just when I sleep?”</p><p>“You experienced it firsthand before, when that woman poisoned you. Sleep is a time when we’re most vulnerable. The spell is working to keep you human and keep the visions away when you’re waking, but sleeping puts your mind in a different…box, let’s say. One it can’t reach. And now the visions are backing up and turning more volatile by trying to actually hurt you. Like a hose that had a kink in it being released and the water flooding out.”</p><p>“Then would it be better to take the medallion off and just working something else out?” Nick asked.</p><p>“No. That could have a similar effect—the curse might alter again and who knows into what. It could get worse.</p><p>“I’m not sure how,” he said.</p><p>“Never say that, because then it definitely will. Permanent visions, permanent beast hood, both, something completely different…”</p><p>“Okay, okay, point taken,” Sloane grimaced.</p><p>Henrietta sighed. “Are you getting any sleep?”</p><p>Sloane blushed, looking at Nick. “Um…we’ve figured out something, after it nearly happening…it helps.”</p><p>“Then do that for now. But honestly, I think we need to talk to Juliette. Or whoever she is now.”</p><p>Nick frowned but sighed. “I’ll see what I can do…”</p><p>“Okay. Find out what you can and get back to us. Till then, take precautions wherever you can.”</p><p>“We will. Thanks, Henrietta.”</p><p>“You’re welcome.”</p><p>They hanged up and Sloane sighed. “…You’re going to try and see her? ‘Eve’?”</p><p>“Yeah. I’ll contact Meisner, try to meet with her. Maybe she can just undo it for you…”</p><p>“That’d be nice…” she said. Her tone implied the <em>I’m not going to hold my breath for that </em>sentiment she felt.</p><p>That night, Nick was laying down reading some news on his tablet when there was a knock. Sloane opened the door before he answered and looked hesitantly at him. “Can…I just stay in here tonight? Just in case?”</p><p>Nick smiled and turned the other side of his bed down. She climbed in and settled down. Nick turned off his tablet and settled down as well.</p><p>Strangely, Sloane didn’t dream and she didn’t get out of bed all night. She had the best sleep she’d had in months, and woke up cuddled next to Nick again.</p><p>This started a routine. Sloane began going on walks, doing errands and such while Nick was at work to finally get out of the house and feel human. With no more visions she even started cooking more, though they still cooked together too. She’d never been that keen when living alone but she wanted to thank Nick somehow for helping her through everything. She’d fill her day, catch up with Nick and the others in the evening, and then they’d end up going to bed together. Platonically. She never tried to initiate anything and neither did Nick. She didn’t want to take advantage of the situation and push him to something when things were still a bit strange and up in the air. But when she was with him, she slept soundly. She wasn’t sure why but she was grateful for it.</p><p>She also began training again. She’d neglected her routine for a while but went back to doing at least 100 sit ups and pushups and mixing in various other exercises. Nick came home a little early one day to watch her and smiled at how she was looking like herself again—confident and ready to kick ass. He jokingly asked if she wanted to spar, but she leapt at the chance. They ended up practicing against each other for a couple of hours with water breaks before he got her pinned. They were laughing as they did since they were certainly not trying to hurt one another. But the laughter quieted when they realized the position they were in. How close their bodies, and their faces were. Nick blushed and quickly got up and they went upstairs to cool down.</p><p>Sloane started driving again a few days into having the medallion and had no issues getting to her old house. Adalind was surprised when she answered the door.</p><p>“Sloane, hey, uh…”</p><p>“Sorry, I didn’t have your number in my phone or I would’ve called,” she sighed.</p><p>“That’s fine, just…what’s wrong? Is it the curse again?”</p><p>“No, no, I’m okay. Doing pretty well actually,” she smiled. “I actually just realized there’s some stuff they forgot to grab from here I’d like to get.” She held up a box she’d brought with her.</p><p>“Oh? Uh, sure.” She stood back, letting her come in. “I thought they were pretty thorough though.”</p><p>“They’d have trouble getting this without me.” She headed for the master bedroom and paused. It was a bit strange seeing Adalind’s decorations where her own should be. She seemed to like black and gold and hints of purple to her preference to blues and greens.</p><p>“You okay?” Adalind asked hesitantly.</p><p>“Yeah, just…jarring.” She headed into the closet, which was surprisingly sparse. “I thought you’d have more stuff…”</p><p>“I’m kind of on a tight budget,” she sighed. “I’m making what extra money I can, but without being a Hexenbiest my old work isn’t interested with me. And I’m hesitant to use them for references. Meisner got me some consulting work with that Hadrian’s Wall, but it’s off and on since they have “Eve” to help them…”</p><p>Sloane nodded slowly, moving to the side of the room. “Sorry to hear that. Hopefully something comes through.” She knelt down and dug her fingers into the carpet, pulling it back from the strips she used to keep it down and almost seamless against the base boards. Underneath was a safe she’d had imbedded in the floor when she first moved in, the dial recessed with a small plug of wood to keep it all flat feeling beneath the carpet.</p><p>“Whoa, I didn’t know that was there,” Adalind said in surprise.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s a secret for a reason.” She pulled the plug from the dial and spun out the combination (her grandmother’s birthday) and opened it up. She breathed out in relief to see what was inside was perfectly safe. She first grabbed the ritual jar Henrietta had made to protect her friends from Dierdre. It looked in good condition and she carefully placed it in the box. Adalind recognized Henrietta’s handywork and had been told about the incident, so she was glad it was safe too. Then Sloane pulled out her Grandmother’s journals. She was glad she’d stacked all of them in there instead of in the office where the fire happened. It was a huge weight off her shoulders to know they were alright. A few other odds and ends were inside like some of her personal documents (real and “real”) other things she wanted to keep extra secure.</p><p>“Okay, that’s everything,” she sighed. “If you want, I’ll leave you the combination to use it.”</p><p>“Uh, sure…I mean, aren’t you…” Sloane tilted her head curiously and Adalind sighed. “You’re going to want your house back soon, right?”</p><p>Sloane was surprised a moment before actually having to think on that. <em>…As weird as it was to see how they’ve moved in…I don’t know if I thought about it as my house for a while…my home…</em> Part of her was a bit sad at the thought because this was the first place she’d thought of as home in twenty years. But now…She thought about the loft, and about Nick, and blushed. <em>Bit presumptuous of me…</em> “I’m…not sure when that would be. You and Diana settled in here…” She sighed. “Maybe we could work something else out. Like I rent it to you, when you can pay rent. I’ll…think of something else as far as where to live.”</p><p>“I…are you serious?” she asked, hopeful but shocked.</p><p>“Yeah. I mean, really, the house was a bit big for just me anyway. And I can’t exactly kick a single mother and her kid out in good conscious. Kelly’d be pissed too. But get a steady job first and then we’ll talk about how we’ll work things out.”</p><p>“Okay…thank you,” she smiled, relieved.</p><p>“That is very generous.” Sloane looked up to see Kelly at the doorway and smiled.</p><p>“Kelly! It’s been a while.” She walked over to her and shook her hand. She hadn’t seen Kelly in person since she returned, just occasional chats on the phone when she called Nick.</p><p>“A bit, yeah. You’re feeling better?”</p><p>“A lot better, yeah. What about…?” she hesitated, looking at the eyepatch.</p><p>She shrugged. “I’m adapting. My hearing has gotten even better.”</p><p>“She knows when Diana’s feeling fussy before I do,” Adalind chuckled.</p><p>“I’ve wanted to visit too, but I worried I’d have trouble working you through any kind of episode…”</p><p>“Everyone managed to get me through, don’t worry,” she smiled.</p><p>“Can you stay and visit a bit?”</p><p>“Uh…” she looked at Adalind who smiled and nodded. “Sure, that’d be fine.”</p><p>She stood and took the box to set by the door. When she turned she was surprised to see Diana sitting on a playmat in the living room. Diana was looking at her as well and it felt a bit like a stalemate for a moment.</p><p>“…Sloane, you okay?”</p><p>“Uh, yeah, just…she’s gotten big?”</p><p>Adalind smiled. “Yeah, she’s almost two now…You’ve never really spent time with her, huh?”</p><p>“Not really, no…”</p><p>“…You look scared.”</p><p>Sloane screwed up her face. “I’m not scared of a baby…” Diana screwed her face up back and pushed herself up to toddle over to her. Sloane backed up as she did, surprised. “She can walk?!”</p><p>“She has been for a few months now,” Adalind said, trying not to laugh as Diana smiled and kept trying to get to Sloane who kept stepping away. “Seriously, you don’t need to keep backing up. She’s a baby, not a bomb.”</p><p>“I’ll be honest, I have more experience with bombs!” Sloane said. “I’m just…. I don’t know what to do with a kid this small…or even a little bigger…”</p><p>“Oh c’mon, don’t you remember being a kid?”</p><p>“My grandmother’s “games” were learning how to play hide and smack with foam bats and hunt things and I learned to throw knives when I was ten. I did not have a normal childhood,” she said with a deadpan look. She jumped when Diana caught her around a leg and giggled.</p><p>“Oh, she’s caught you,” Adalind smiled.</p><p>Sloane looked down and smiled just slightly when Diana looked up with a grin. “…Good job?” She giggled more as she dragged her, clinging to her leg, towards the couch.</p><p>“Sounds like she likes you,” Kelly smiled.</p><p>“I have no idea why. Horrible taste, that’s what she has.” She sat down and lifted her leg up slightly, Diana cackling more as she was lifted off the ground.</p><p>“Kids can be unpredictable,” Adalind smiled. “I’ll get some drinks. Relax for a bit.”</p><p>“Easier said than done…” she muttered. She quirked a brow when Diana patted her leg demandingly and lifted again, smiling faintly as she erupted into giggles.</p><p>-------------------</p><p>Downtown, a convention center was hosting a horror lovers convention, RIP City Horror Con. It was only a couple of days before Halloween and the horror fans were flocking to see merchandise, exhibits, memorabilia and famous guests. Girls in skimpy clothing worked to draw attention to their booths. Oddities and crafts were also on sale, including costumes.</p><p>No one really paid attention to two maintenance men going to check on the furnace with a big duffle bag and two large boxes on dollies. They locked the door once in the furnace room and took out several tools from the bag. Then they lifted the fake boxes from what appeared to be two huge gas cannisters. Using a drill to make a hole in the ventilation system, he fed a tube from the canister to the system and then turned the knob on the cannister. The gas was pushed by the air to the vents in the main area.</p><p>There were a few moments where some guests felt something was wrong. A tingling sensation. As the area was further saturated though, several began to feel their heads clouding over.</p><p>“Hey, are you alright?” one of the girls asked her coworker when she grabbed onto the side of the booth.</p><p>“Some…something’s wrong…” Suddenly she woged into a Coyotle and her friend screamed. This set off a chain reaction of vendors and attendees alike woging uncontrollably. The screams caused them to snarl or scream back and people began running for the exits. When a dickfelig was struck he growled and charged, tossing people left and right. Others hid under tables, confused why they were woging and terrified. Pandemonium broke loose as people were knocked about, scratched and more.</p><p>Outside, Mike was watching and smiled. Taking out a can of spray paint, he drew the four claw marks across it. Then across the bottom he quickly wrote <em>You cannot deny us, we rightfully rule.</em></p><p>------------------</p><p>When Sloane got home, Nick was there. She’d texted him she was going over to Adalind’s so he wasn’t worried. The fact she was stable helped too.</p><p>“Hey, have fun?”</p><p>“Yeah…what?”</p><p>“You…uh, have something…” He pointed to his cheek, trying not to laugh.</p><p>Sloane frowned and looked in a mirror by the door. “Oh hell!” she cursed, blushing at the sticker still her cheek. It had a unicorn licking an ice cream on it. “I drove all the way home with that on?”</p><p>“Apparently. Diana did it?”</p><p>“Yeah, she figured out I was “sick” for a while and gave it to me to make me feel better…”</p><p>“That’s adorable,” he said.</p><p>“Yeah, and I managed to not say these things are a lot more terrifying in real life…”</p><p>“…Unicorns?”</p><p>“Yeah. Abaths. They eat children. Well, the females do. The males are called Ruvas and…like virgins, we’ll say.”</p><p>“Yeesh…” Nick grimaced. “I forget wesen can ruin some pictures of “mythological” creatures…”</p><p>“Yeah…” Sloane looked at the sticker and subtly stuck it to one of the papers she’d brought in the box. “I don’t suppose you have a safe?”</p><p>“Uh…no. But if you want one we can look into it.”</p><p>“I would, honestly, to keep some things safe…But I don’t want to overstep, it’s you’re place,” she said quickly.</p><p>“No, it’s a good idea. And it’s your place too. I mean as long as you want it to be,” he added quickly.</p><p>She relaxed slightly, smiling. “Thanks…I’ll go find a safe place for these in the meantime.”</p><p>He nodded, watching her go. Sighing a little, he rubbed between his eyes. <em>As long as you want it to be? Really? I mean yes, but you don’t actually want her to go, do you?</em></p><p>Nick’s phone went off and he sighed as he picked it up. “Burkhardt.”</p><p>“Hey Nick…we got a big problem,” Hank said.</p><p>“What kind?”</p><p>“The mass hysteria causing kind. Turn on the news, channel 5.”</p><p>Nick frowned and grabbed the remote to do so quickly. His eyes widened when he saw a scene similar to the vandalism Black Claw had done on the streets a few weeks ago, but this time in a small convention center. People were cowering on the street, many bloody and hurt. He turned up the volume.</p><p>“…created a panic, where several individuals were trampled. More than two dozen are at the hospital. Three were pronounced dead. No one is sure of the cause, but several individuals shared a similar story.”</p><p>It cut to a man with a gash in his forehead and a blanket around his shoulders. His eyes were wild and he gestured around. “They turned into animals! But not like the ones at the zoo, i-it’s like they were half animal, half man! All these different ones! And then we were all screaming and they were screaming, and there was yelling a-and they started attacking people!”</p><p>“What the hell…?” Sloane had come out, hearing the news and looking just as shocked as Nick. The camera panned over and he felt a chill when he saw a Black Claw mark painted across the wall.</p><p>“Police are investigating the cause of this incident as we speak.”</p><p>“You saw the mark, right?”</p><p>“Yeah…” Nick said, his resolve rising. “I’ll be there soon.”</p><p>“Okay.” They hanged up and Sloane walked up to him.</p><p>“I’m coming too.”</p><p>“Sloane,” he started.</p><p>“It’s been days since I had a vision awake,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”</p><p>Nick hesitated and sighed. “Maybe, but we’d have to explain where you’ve been and I’m not sure we can do that right now…”</p><p>She frowned. “You think I’m going to sit by while this happens? Or you think I’m useless still?”</p><p>“No! I mean, I never thought you were! But…”</p><p>“But what? You like playing the hero, helping the poor, broken girl?” she asked, crossing her arms.</p><p>“Sloane, that is not what I’ve been doing,” he said, his voice getting its own edge.</p><p>“Then why are you so hesitant to let me help?!”</p><p>Nick sighed and pushed back his hair slightly. “I just—you’re still unpredictable! I’m worried! But I know you can handle yourself; I’m not saying you can’t. I just can’t help…being worried.”</p><p>Sloane eased slightly when she saw how distressed he was and sighed. “I know…sorry…But I don’t want to stay stuck at home forever. I’m a Grimm like you, and a cop, and I don’t want to just sit around and do nothing!”</p><p>“…I’ll go to the convention center. Why don’t you go to Monroe and Rosalee’s, see if they know anything or if they have any leads?”</p><p>“…Okay,” she sighed. “At least it’s helping, I suppose…”</p><p>“It is, really. I’ll let you know what we find out.”</p><p>She nodded and they got ready to leave, heading down to their cars together. She caught his shoulder before he left and he looked at her. “Be careful,” she said. “You’re not the only one that worries…”</p><p>He smiled a bit and nodded before they got in their cars.</p><p>Nick met Hank at the convention center and Nick arched his brow at the sign with a tombstone logo on it. “Horror convention?”</p><p>“Hey, there’s conventions for everything,” Hank pointed out.</p><p>“But I think they got a bit more than they bargained for this time,” Wu said, motioning them through the tape inside. “According to eyewitnesses, people began turning into “monsters”. Some got very ornery too. The panic caused a lot of injuries and unfortunately a few deaths…”</p><p>Nick frowned as he looked around at toppled booths and broken figurines or replicas. Even if it wasn’t his thing, this should’ve been a fun day for the attendees, not a day for real death. And then there was the question on all their minds: Why did a bunch of wesen suddenly woge?</p><p>As Nick was walking around for the second time, still not finding anything, he heard something shuffle beneath a display table. Moving a cardboard cutout of a monster out of the way, he lifted the skirt around the table up and came face to face with a woged Stangebär—and almost a few of its quills. “Whoa, calm down!” Nick said, holding back away.</p><p>“G-grim—”</p><p>“Shhh!” Nick said. “I’m not here to hurt you, I’m trying to figure out what happened! You can unwoge.”</p><p>He quivered a little and then shook his head. “I-I can’t!”</p><p>“You’re safe, I’m not here to hurt you,” he said patiently.</p><p>“No, I mean I <em>can’t</em>!” he said. “I’m stuck!”</p><p>“Nick?” The Stangebär cowered back as Hank walked over and he paused when he saw him. Nick could see he was wearing a <em>Friday the 13<sup>th</sup> </em>shirt and dark jeans, but they were ripped up by the porcupine-like quills sticking out of him. “Whoa, okay, hi.”</p><p>“…I…was expecting more surprise?” he said, confused by Hank’s rather blasé reaction.</p><p>“Nah, I’ve seen worse,” Hank said.</p><p>“…Thanks?”</p><p>“Look, we handle a lot of cases like this, we’re just interested in finding out what happened and who’s responsible,” Nick said. “If that’s not you, we don’t have a problem with you.”</p><p>“…I-I don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “We were just having fun, talking about some of the old classics. Trivia and stuff. Then I started feeling like…like when you smell something really strong and it makes your head kind of spin? And then I just…” he gestured. “I woged! But I didn’t mean to. It just happened and a bunch of other people were woging and the others were freaking out and then some started fighting—”</p><p>“The wesen attacked people?” Hank asked.</p><p>“No! It was always after they’d been attacked, but then they just…it’s like they Hulked out! Just anger fighting. I hid, I didn’t want to get trampled or punched a-and now I can’t change back! What am I going to do, I can’t go outside like this!”</p><p>Nick and Hank looked at one another and then looked around. Nick grabbed a black sheet from under another booth and held it up. “Wrap this around you, we’ll sneak you out. I have a friend who might be able to help.”</p><p>“Is that code for kill me and mount my woged head on a wall?”</p><p>“It’s code for we’ve dealt with weirder shit than this and unless you want crime scene to find you and freak out…” Hank said.</p><p>“…Fair enough.” He took the sheet and wrapped it around him. His quills poked a few holes but he managed to get it around him and climb out. “Um…I’m Edgar. Edgar Rogers.”</p><p>“I’m Nick Burkhardt. This is Hank Griffin. We’re detectives and…”</p><p>“Wesen problem solvers,” Hank said. “And that’s wesen who are problems and wesen who have problems. You’re the latter, but I think you’ll help us with the former.”</p><p>“I…will try,” he said, still uncertain.</p><p>“Follow us to the back. I’ll bring the car around and we’ll take you to our friend.”</p><p>Edgar nodded and scuttled after them with the blanket tight around him. When they got out the back though, a surprise was waiting.</p><p>“Meisner?” Nick asked.</p><p>“Nick. I was just about to try and get your attention,” Meisner smiled. He quirked a brow at Edgar. “It seems you found someone we missed.”</p><p>“Missed?” Hank asked.</p><p>He gestured to the van nearby. “Come with me and I’ll explain and help.”</p><p>“Uh…I’m enough of a horror fan I’m a bit skeptical on the whole unmarked van thing,” Edgar said, taking a step back.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Nick sighed. “He’s trying to stop the people that did this to you, he probably knows more than we do.”</p><p>Meisner smiled. “We do.”</p><p>Edgard Hesitated but sighed and climbed into the van with Nick and Hank. He took one side, and they took the other to avoid the quills. The van was shut and they headed off. “So, care to explain?” Nick asked.</p><p>Meisner sighed and settled in as someone else drove. “Black Claw kidnapped a man several weeks ago, Dr. Hyun-Ki Ahn. He’s a Reinegen, but a researcher as well. We found out he’d determined a way to make wesen woge against their will and stay woged for an undetermined amount of time.”</p><p>“Undetermined?” Edgar asked, looking worried.</p><p>“Yes. He actually decided not to pursue this avenue in favor of researching another reaction—but it seems Black Claw found his initial discovery more intriguing.”</p><p>“And they got it,” Hank guessed.</p><p>“Yes, though with side effects. It seems if they are attacked they lose control and won’t stop till their perceived threat is dead…”</p><p>“That’s exactly what happened! I hid right away and was fine, aside from the woging, but anyone that got into a fight just went nuts!” Edgar said. “I saw a guy fly across the room. Got thrown by a freakin’ Gegenees I’ve met at other conventions. He’s usually the nicest guy…You know how hard six arms can throw you?”</p><p>Hank and Meisner looked at Nick who just had to shrug in confusion. They drove back outside of the city to the Hadrian’s Wall compound, stepping out.</p><p>“Mr. Rogers, if you follow these people they’re going to take you where we have a few more people we picked up around the convention center. We’re running tests to see how to let you unwoge.” From down the hall they could see a lab area where a few wesen were being looking over. Some were restrained as they tried to fight but others were placid as they were poked and prodded. Edgar hesitated but followed them down to the hall. Nick thought to follow but Meisner put a hand on his shoulder. “I need to talk with you two over here.”</p><p>Hank and Nick followed him to the room that had several monitors in it, showing similar events once again unfolding in other states. No one else was in the room at the moment though. “What the heck?” Hank said, watching footage of another convention devolving into chaos.</p><p>“We secured the footage from all venues. Last thing we need is the news getting this,” Meisner sighed.</p><p>“Is this another message from Black Claw?” Nick asked. He saw similar graffiti in several places to the one left at the convention center.</p><p>“Yes and no. They left their messages, but I think this is something much more insidious. I believe this is a subsect trying to flip the balance.”</p><p>“The balance?” Hank asked.</p><p>“They want to make wesen public knowledge. They believe doing so, wesen can essentially take power they believe they are owed as being stronger than Kehrseite.”</p><p>“Oh…great.”</p><p>“So they really are forcing wesen to woge?”</p><p>“Yes. We believe that it is a chemical weapon. They targeted small but packed areas and released the gas into the air vents to spread—we managed to find the evidence left behind in Seattle where they targeted a car show.” He brought up a video showing a quick and messy attempt to hide a hole in the air duct in a room. “We caught the men and got the cannisters from them. But they killed themselves rather than be captured. We’re going over their equipment for any other clues now and taking samples from the cannisters and victims. I’m confident we’ll be able to cure them but a cure doesn’t do much good in the heat of the moment.” He looked at Nick. “We could really use your help with this…Trubel is on another mission in Hong Kong that is of equal importance.”</p><p>Nick frowned, looking at Hank who was also concerned. “…I’m going to help, but…I can’t really join. I have a job and life here, traveling like that isn’t something I can do.”</p><p>“Nick—” Meisner started, but they looked up when the doors opened.</p><p>Eve stepped through, her face still as stoic as ever, but Nick felt his anger rise. She looked at him and nodded. “Nick…”</p><p>“Eve,” he growled.</p><p>------------------------------</p><p>“I don’t know anything about this,” Rosalee sighed, watching the news report on the small TV in the back of the shop. “It sounds like a bunch of wesen woged at once in a small area, which is against council law—”</p><p>“There’s no council anymore though,” Monroe pointed out. Rosalee deflated and sighed and he rubbed her back.</p><p>“I just thought I’d check,” Sloane sighed.</p><p>“How are you doing?” Rosalee asked. “It’s been over a week since you got the necklace. Does it help?”</p><p>She smiled, flicking the pendant gently. “It definitely does…I just wish I didn’t need it.”</p><p>“You won’t someday, I’m sure,” Monroe said. “What about sleeping?”</p><p>Sloane froze a moment, her face heating up. “Um…fine. I mean, little trouble but nothing unmanagble.” She quickly took a gulp of her tea, not wanting to give away that she immediately thought about how she’d shared Nick’s bed for several nights.</p><p>“Well that’s good,” Rosalee said, noticing the blush but not pressing. They heard the bell in the front of the room and she sighed, standing. “I’ll be right back.”</p><p>Sloane sighed a bit and sat back. “…Hey Monroe…”</p><p>“Hm?” He looked up from drinking his own herbal tea.</p><p>“…Did you…I mean have you ever…” She looked down and sighed before looking at him. “You still get cravings for meat?”</p><p>Monroe was shocked a moment before gently setting his cup down. “…Sometimes. Why?”</p><p>“…I got the cravings as a beast sometimes…to just eat something I caught where I caught it, not mussing with cooking it. It kind of scared me…I dreamed about it one night…” It had been the night Nick had stopped her with the knife. She’d dreamed of carving up a dear right on the table and eating it raw. She hadn’t told him because it scared her more that she still didn’t wake up. She attributed it to nothing seeming wrong in a dream till you wake up but it lingered with her. The fear she might’ve eaten her own hand cropped up as well…</p><p>“Did you?”</p><p>“No, I managed to drag it back to my lair and cook it like a civilized monster,” she said a bit snidely.</p><p>Monroe shrugged, not rankled by her tone like he would’ve been when they first met. “Hey, I’ve eaten live game before. Woke up with a rabbit in my mouth when I had a relapse. Or what was left of it.” He sighed. “It’s part of why I do everything I do. Helps keep that instinct in check. My body is a temple, but my offerings are everything I can give it that won’t make me tempted. But you’re kind of a different story. It’s less like these are natural instincts in you and more like…I dunno, they were forced into you. It’s not really you that wants it. Me, it’s a part of me. It’s just the part I choose not to give in to.”</p><p>“Maybe…” she sighed. “Don’t mention it to the others though, okay? I don’t want them worrying I’m going to like make a stake smoothie or something.”</p><p>“I’d be impressed if you did, but got it,” he smiled.</p><p>They both paused when they heard Rosalee. “Sloane…can you come out here?”</p><p>Sloane quirked her brow, glancing at Monroe. He agreed that tone didn’t sound happy. Standing, she headed for the door and peaked out. And nearly broke the door frame when she saw the two men that had previously tried to kidnap her pointing guns at Rosalee. They didn’t look confident though, in fact they were rather jumpy.</p><p>“No sudden moves! We don’t want to shoot anyone unnecessarily!” the smaller one said.</p><p>“Y-yeah! Wait, that’s—”</p><p>Sloane marched forward and grabbed the barrels, forcing them up and away as the men panicked. The one with the hurt collarbone hissed in pain as well. “If you don’t get those guns away from my friends, I’m going to shove them down your throat and pull the trigger,” Sloane said darkly. She could feel her eyes going black and the men both paled and dropped the guns. She managed to grab one but the other slipped and went off when it hit the floor, thankfully only hitting an eave above and splintering it a little, but it made Rosalee jump and shriek in surprise. Monroe rushed out then, woging and snarling. The men backed up again.</p><p>“What the hell is going on?!” he said, advancing on them.</p><p>“We’re sorry!” the bigger man said.</p><p>“We’re just following orders!”</p><p>Monroe paused, confusion on his Blutbad face, before changing back and looking at Sloane. She sighed and picked up both rifles. “These are the guys that tried to kidnap me last week. Apparently they didn’t learn their lesson.”</p><p>“We learned it!” the smaller one said. “But we didn’t have a choice!”</p><p>“We need a hostage!”</p><p>“Excuse me?” Rosalee said.</p><p>They looked at one another then sighed. “We got in over our heads. We joined this group, Black Claw, it’s—”</p><p>“We know what it is,” Sloane said impatiently. “But I thought you were working for that Grosvenor guy?”</p><p>“We are. He works for Black Claw too.”</p><p>Sloane looked at Monroe and Rosalee, all of them a little surprised. “Well that explains some things maybe…So what do we have to do with that?”</p><p>“Grosvenor still wants that beast, the Wild Thing. He did that video online and with it being over a month his fans are getting demanding. Most of his guys are still wrapped up legally so we were sent to help him.”</p><p>“Mostly cause we were useless elsewhere,” the bigger man added under his breath. “We thought this was just people blowing smoke and stuff, we didn’t think they were actually planning to hurt people! But now we can’t get out!”</p><p>“Yeah, only way you get out is in a body bag,” the smaller said, shuddering. “Sometimes not even then, they just kill you and leave you somewhere.”</p><p>“Why hasn’t he come himself if he wants this creature?” Sloane asked.</p><p>“He’s been busy. Black Claw had him importing a bunch of seed things—”</p><p>“Danny!” the big guy hissed.</p><p>They both tensed when Sloane leaned down. “No…do go on.”</p><p>“…I-it’s something to do with chemicals and things,” he said. “That’s all I know!”</p><p>“…Your boss would know more?”</p><p>“I mean, yeah?”</p><p>Sloane looked thoughtful before going and putting the guns on the counter. “Fine. You’re not getting these back, but I’ll be your hostage.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Sloane?!” Monroe said, looking at her in shock. Rosalee’s jaw was dropped as well.</p><p>“Grosvenor knows something about what’s going on. I want to question him and he’s giving me an invitation. It’d be rude to decline.”</p><p>“Sloane, are you sure about this?” Rosalee said, glancing at the choker.</p><p>She sighed, glancing at the men before leaning in to speak quietly. “I’ll be alright. Text Nick, I’ll turn on the tracker on my phone. It sounds like Grosvenor is helping Black Claw with whatever is going on. We need to make sure this doesn’t snowball more than it has and more people get killed.” They looked at one another then sighed and nodded. Sloane turned to the others. “Okay, boys. No cuffs, no gags, but I’ll follow you.”</p><p>The men looked more frightened by that than facing her head on but nodded and stood. “O-okay…I mean, can’t we like tie you up or something.”</p><p>“Not if you want to keep your fingers,” she said sweetly.</p><p>“R-right…” They led Sloane out to a van and she got in the back. She turned on her phone’s tracker like she said and sat back. Inside, Monroe and Rosalee immediately tried to call Nick.</p><p>----------------------------</p><p>Nick and Eve were facing each other. She was as cold as ice staring at him, but he was glaring hotly. “…You’re angrier than last time we met.”</p><p>“Yeah. I am.”</p><p>Meisner sighed. “They found Sloane, while you were gone.”</p><p>“…I see.”</p><p>“Is that all you have to say?” Hank asked, also angry seeing her. “After what you did to her?”</p><p>“I take it the curse worked?” she asked, mor conversational than anything.</p><p>Nick glared. “Yes. It did. She’s seeing awful visions <em>and</em> turning into a monster at night?!”</p><p>Eve didn’t look phased and nodded. “Yes. It was intended for you though.”</p><p>Nick reeled a little bit. Regardless of how everything was between them at the end, it was a harsh feeling of betrayal to know she’d been ready to curse him like that. “<em>Me?!</em>”</p><p>“Yes. But then she made Juliette angry. So she cursed her instead and figured on killing you.”</p><p>Nick took a deep breath. His instinct was to gear up for a fight but he knew this wasn’t the place to start throwing punches at a hexenbiest. Words though were fair game. “She went through half a year of hell. Alone because she was scared of hurting us.”</p><p>Eve shrugged. “Suffering was the goal really.”</p><p>“Suffering? Are you serious? Why did you want us to <em>suffer</em>?”</p><p>“Nick,” Hank started, not wanting a fight to break out.</p><p>“Juliette saw her life crumbling. At the same time, she tasted real power for the first time in her life,” Eve said. “Knowing it meant losing you hurt.”</p><p>“I didn’t exactly have a chance to <em>try</em> and get used to it,” Nick ground out. “You revealed it and then <em>left</em>.”</p><p>“Would you have gotten used to it? Could you have loved a hexenbiest?”</p><p>“Well, we’ll never know now, will we,” he sniped.</p><p>“You tried to suppress her power.”</p><p>“Is it any wonder when people were getting hurt? Starting barfights is a real nice use of that power, huh?”</p><p>“Is this the time to hash this all out again?” Meisner sighed.</p><p>“…You’re right. What’s done is done,” Nick said. “But she’s going to undo it. You cursed Sloane; you’re going to un-curse her.”</p><p>“Juliette was the one—” she started, still as calm as ever.</p><p>Nick snapped. “Stop saying her name like she’s someone else!” he shouted. “No matter what you say or what they’ve done to you, you did this! It was your hands, these hands, that did all of it!” He grabbed her hand and Meisner moved to stop him because honestly Eve could seriously hurt him. But she just froze in his grasp. “You don’t get to change your name and say it was someone else who killed and hurt and did those things to other people! To me! To our friends!”</p><p>“Sloane’s killed more people than I have,” she said.</p><p>“…Yeah. And she doesn’t act like she didn’t. She admits it and she feels bad or she feels justified but at least she didn’t turn away or deny it even when it might’ve done her better. Maybe her hands aren’t clean, but she doesn’t blame someone else. And she actually protects the people she cares about. So no, I’m not going to bother comparing you and her.”</p><p>“…Are you in love with her?”</p><p>Nick straightened, surprised. But Eve sounded more curious than accusatory. “…I told you before, nothing was going on with us.”</p><p>“I believe you. There would be no point in lying now. Juliette cared, I don’t.”</p><p>Nick twitched and breathed in deeply to try and control his temper again. “…Maybe I do. Maybe I am in love with Sloane, now. Maybe I have been for a while, I don’t know! But even if I wasn’t, nothing changes. You’re going to lift that curse.” Hank’s jaw dropped and he looked at Meisner who was looking uncomfortable and a bit exasperated.</p><p>“Or what?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.</p><p>“Or I’ll find a way to make you. Or maybe they can order you to do it? That’s how this works now, right?” he said snidely. Eve didn’t glare but her fist tightened a little bit.</p><p>“Okay, please!” Meisner barked. “Nick, I understand you are angry, but this isn’t going to help us get Black Claw or help Sloane.”</p><p>Nick looked at Meisner. “Sloane gets cured, then I cooperate.”</p><p>“Are you serious?” Meisner said.</p><p>“Yes. Because honestly, we’re doing fine on our own with Black Claw.”</p><p>“We are?” Hank asked. Nick gave him a hard stare and he nodded quickly. “We are.”</p><p>Meisner sighed and looked to Eve. “…You can break the curse?”</p><p>“…I can. Easily,” she confirmed.</p><p>“Then do it.”</p><p>Eve was as unreadable as ever, only nodding. Nick sighed in relief. “Let’s go now then. Afterwards I’ll check with our forensics people and see what information we have and we’ll go from there.” Meisner nodded and they headed back up to the entrance to the compound. When he got outside, Nick felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out. “I’ve got several missed calls from Monroe and Rosalee…”</p><p>“That doesn’t sound good,” Hank said. Meisner and Eve paused as well.</p><p>Nick nodded, immediately dialing Monroe.</p><p>“Nick! Where were you, we were trying to reach you!”</p><p>“I was meeting with Hadrian’s Wall,” Nick said, looking at Meisner. “What happened at the convention center happened other places. It some kind of chemical attack forcing wesen to woge and then go into a rage if they’re attacked.”</p><p>“Oh, fantastic,” Monroe said blithely. “But that’s not why we were calling—Sloane went to meet with Grosvenor!”</p><p>“What?!” Nick barked.</p><p>“The guys that tried to kidnap her before came to threaten us. She got them to talk, he’s working with Black Claw—I think on this actually from the sound of it. The chemical thing. She went to try and get information from him. She said she turned on the tracker on her phone.”</p><p>Nick was worried but nodded slowly. “Okay…we’ll track her down and call you with anything else we find out.”</p><p>“Be careful, man. It’s Halloween, the city is going to be packed.”</p><p>“We will.” Nick hanged up and then clicked through his phone to bring up the tracker app. They’d agreed to use this in case one of them went missing months ago and he was glad they did. “Sloane’s gone to meet with Grosvenor. They think he’s working for Black Claw and has something to do with all this.”</p><p>“By ‘meet’ you mean…?” Meisner said.</p><p>“Two guys tried to kidnap her last week. Grosvenor still wants the Wild Thing. I’m worried he’ll get it if he’s not careful.”</p><p>“We’ll follow you,” he nodded, heading to their own SUV.</p><p>Nick headed for theirs, handing his phone to Hank while he backed quickly out and to the road.</p><p>“…Hey Nick…what you said in there, about, uh…” Hank said hesitantly. “I mean, are you and Sloane…?”</p><p>“…We’re not together,” Nick said.</p><p>“Okay, but do you want to be?”</p><p>“Is this really the time?” Nick asked, trying to concentrate of moving fast through the woods. It took an hour to get to the compound from the city, but he was going to make it in half that without killing them.</p><p>“I’m just saying, go for it,” Hank said honestly.</p><p>Nick frowned a bit, checking the mirror to make sure Meisner and Eve were following. “…It’s not that easy. I don’t know if she still feels that way.”</p><p>“Hey, I get that it can be nerve wracking—wait, still?” Hank stared and then his eyes widened. “You said before she disappeared someone told you they loved you…That was Sloane?!”</p><p>“Hank, this is really not the time,” Nick said again, blushing.</p><p>“…Fine, but you better work this out later. Cause I think you two might be good for each other.”</p><p>Nick glanced at him but then concentrated on the road.</p><p>--------------------</p><p>Danny and Zeke were the names of the two men who kept making trouble for Sloane. An Ungeziefer Greifer and a Malan Fatal. She wasn’t sure why a weasel and a boar were best friends but she didn’t really care. They drove up to a luxury RV parked just off the woods near where she’d roamed for months.  Sloane got out of her car and the two men rolled down their windows slightly. “H-he’s in there…” Danny said.</p><p>“Great. You two go.”</p><p>“…Really?”</p><p>“Yes. Go, leave Black Claw, find a place to make sure they don’t you and stay out of trouble from now on, alright?” she asked impatiently.</p><p>“W-we will, promise!” Zeke nodded. They rolled up the windows and quickly drove off again. Sloane sighed and walked up to pound on the door.</p><p>Grosvenor opened it and quirked a brow. “…No solicitors.”</p><p>“Cute.” Sloane grabbed the front of his shirt, surprising him, before flipping him off the steps of the RV on to the ground on his back. She may have still been a bit angry at the whole nearly killing her and her friends thing. Grosvenor had the wind knocked out of him for a second but then rolled and stood, woging and snarling. He paused though when he saw her eyes.</p><p>“You’re the Grimm…the other one,” he said.</p><p>“Yes I am. And you are part of Black Claw,” she said, cracking her knuckles.</p><p>“…I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” he sighed. “You Grimms always seem to find things out some way.” He eyed her again and his lip curled. “Not even armed?”</p><p>“Didn’t have time. But I think I can take you on.”</p><p>“Oh, you are quite brazen, aren’t you, <em>Cherie,</em>” he sneered. “I didn’t see you that night though.”</p><p>“I saw you,” she said, striding forward. “Now, you’re going to tell me how Black Claw caused that panic downtown and what else their planning.”</p><p>“Or what?”</p><p>“Or I skin a cat,” she said. He snarled and rushed her and Sloane ducked away, striking him in the chest. She did realize now not coming armed was a mistake since his claws could make mincemeat out of her, but she kept dodging.</p><p>“I have a counteroffer. You tell me where my creature is, and I won’t shred you to ribbons!” She ducked again as his claws scraped over the RV. Looking up, she got an idea. Dodging another strike, she jumped up on the ladder at the side and got to the roof. Grabbing the large antenna on top, she broke it off easily.</p><p>“Hey! I need that, you bitch!” he said, following her.</p><p>Sloane broke it further till the shaft was pointed and easy to hold. “En Garde, Tigger.” He roared and rushed her and she dodged and struck him, sticking him through the shoulder with the antenna like a fencer. He snarled, backing away as blood bloomed across his shirt. “I’ll say again, tell me what Black Claw is planning!”</p><p>He moved for her again, but dodged her strike this time. He then rammed her, making her have to jump and roll to the ground. He landed with a thud in front of her and kicked, making her curse when he caught her cheek. He grabbed her hair and brought her up to fit his teeth on her neck but she brought the rod up into his mouth. She then jammed her hand into the wound she already caused making him yowl and let go of her.</p><p>“You’re fighting dirty!” he spat.</p><p>“I’m fighting to win,” she said. “Also, you have no room to talk.”</p><p>He smiled. “I suppose that is true…” He held up his hands then in surrender. “Fine. I’m not interested in being a Grimm’s tiger skin rug. I’ll tell you what Black Claw is doing.”</p><p>Sloane eyed him but relaxed her stance. “Go on…but stay where you are.”</p><p>He sighed and stood, a hand going to his shoulder to staunch the bleeding. “It’s Halloween, yes? Tonight, they plan on releasing the gas in as many places as possible. They want to cause a mass panic, reveal wesen to the world.”</p><p>Sloane’s eyes widened. “What? Why?!”</p><p>“Ah, this part of Black Claw, they think Wesen should rule the world. I can’t say I don’t see their point, but it makes things so much more difficult,” he sighed. “I went along with it because they offered me more help to get the one that got away, so to speak. Instead they send me incompetent fools who I wager brought you here.” Sloane didn’t argue and he chuckled. “See? Useless bastards…”</p><p>“Where are they unleashing it?”</p><p>“I do not know, woman!” he snapped. “I got them some ingredients, but I don’t follow along. It’s not even good, it makes wesen unstable. Well, more unstable for some.”</p><p>“Where would I find out?”</p><p>“I suppose the lab they were using,” he sighed. He shuffled to the door. “I’ll write you the address and you can go kick their asses.”</p><p>Sloane eyed him, following him up the steps. He grabbed a pen and piece of paper, jotting down the address and handing it to her. “…How do I know this is right?”</p><p>“I swear on my mama’s grave it is,” he said, crossing his heart. “It just won’t do you much good.”</p><p>“Why’s that?”</p><p>“You’ll be dead!” Sloane cursed as he woged again, reaching for her, she brought the antenna up and through his arm, making him scream. But just as she did, his hand closed around her neck and squeezed. “I’ll have a Grimm for a trophy if I can’t have my monster!” Sloane glared and pulled the antenna out to drive it again through his leg. He yelled and she felt a scratch along her neck as he pulled his hand away.</p><p>Then she felt like the sky fell in on her. She staggered, gripping the counter of the RV. <em>What’s happening? Why—</em></p><p>“Oh Sloane…you didn’t think you could run away forever? Don’t you have any shame? Starting fights like this again?” Maria asked.</p><p>Sloane’s eyes widened and her hand went to her throat. The choker was gone. She looked at Grosvenor, who had it caught in his claws. He was watching her in confusion though. “C’est quoi…what is happening to you?”</p><p>Sloane could feel the change happening even though it was only midday. She’d been warned something new could happen if the choker was removed and she gasped as she began changing. Grosvenor backed away, horrified as her body grew, her face elongated, shifted, grew teeth, her hands grew claws and the hair grew along her body. Sloane was almost too big for the RV like this, smashing into things as her clothes split, the spines along her back tearing through her shirt easily.</p><p>“The beast…it was you?” he said. He began laughing. “Oh, this is amazing! Yes! I’ll fix you up good and it will be a ratings bonanza!” He moved to grab his gun from the wrack and load it. But as he turned, Sloane was there. She grabbed the gun and forced it up like she had before with his lackeys. “Let go you stupid beast!” Sloane snarled and opened her mouth and Grosvenor paled as she lunged.</p><p>It was rather poetic justice that a man like Grosvenor died in the jaws of a beast.</p><p>Afterwards, Sloane managed to grab the piece of paper and her phone delicately in her claws and shuffle out, forcing herself through the small doorway. She whined when she realized she couldn’t talk or drive. But she saw the tracker was still enabled. Deciding that would hopefully work, she tied her phone to her with what was left of her shirt and headed towards town.</p><p>Just moments after she left two other SUVs pulled up. It was a fortunate coincidence in Nick’s opinion that the road to Hadrian’s Wall cut right through the woods there and they got to it very quickly.</p><p>“That’s her car,” Hank said.</p><p>Nick nodded, quickly parking. “Sloane!?” Nick yelled, getting out and rushing to the RV. He could tell there had been a fight. Getting inside, he gasped when he saw the blood along one corner. But his heart evened out slightly when he saw it was Grosvenor lying in a crumpled heap, his neck ripped out.</p><p>“Nick?” Hank called.</p><p>“It’s Grosvenor…he’s dead.”</p><p>“What about Sloane?”</p><p>“I don’t see her,” he said, both relieved and more worried. “Check my phone!”</p><p>Meisner and Eve stepped up to look inside, Meisner grimacing. “She did this?”</p><p>“I guess,” Nick said. “I’m not sure how though…”</p><p>Eve tilted her head and walked forward, kneeling to pick something up. “…There’s magic coming from this.”</p><p>Nick looked at felt his stomach drop when he saw the choker, broking and dangling limply in her hand. “No…Shit!” he cursed, pacing.</p><p>“What is it?” Meisner asked.</p><p>“Henrietta and some other hexe made that for Sloane,” he said. “It’ helped to keep her human and keep those visions away. But they said taking it off could have bad consequences!”</p><p>Eve regarded it then looked at Grosvenor’s body. “…It seems she may have changed and killed him with her fangs.”</p><p>“He likely deserved it,” Nick said, feeling no sympathy. “I’m more worried if she’s still in that form during the day!”</p><p>“Nick, she’s on the move!” Hank said. Nick rushed out. “She’s heading east, towards the industrial area!”</p><p>“She must’ve found something out,” Nick said.</p><p>“We’ll follow you again,” Meisner said. He nodded, getting back into the cars to drive for the city, lights flashing.</p><p>On the way, Rosalee called him again. “Nick? Is everything okay?”</p><p>“Not exactly…Look, Sloane’s on her way into the city, I think she found something. But something’s wrong too—I’ll call you when I know more.”</p><p>“But Nick—” He hanged up and sighed. He felt bad doing it, but he needed to concentrate.</p><p>Sloane meanwhile managed to stay on the rooftops and get towards the area of the city the note said. Down below she could see people getting ready for Halloween—costumes, candy, parties, the works. If she did stop this and they released that gas, who knows how many people would die, and how many might have blood on their hands they never wanted. Growling, she leapt to the next building, those below looking up but not seeing her even when her shadow passed them.</p><p>Finally she got to an old industrial building near the water. Despite looking abandoned, there were several men circling the area. She watched them from the alley and growled. <em>Great…how do I get in? </em>She paused and looked down at herself. <em>…Well...in for a penny, I guess. </em>Taking a breath, she ran out and rushed the first man she saw. He looked up when he heard her coming and screamed just as she slammed him to the ground. Another couple came running, frozen in shock a moment before she rushed them. They tried to woge—a schakal and a skalengeck—but she slammed one into the wall and bright her arm around to the other to punch him in the face.</p><p>Inside, Bosch heard a loud thud and frowned. “The hell was that?”</p><p>“Something fell?” Dr. Ahn guessed. He was working to fill several tear gas cannisters with the formula at Bosch’s insistence and others’ help. They were the kind fired from grenade launchers, usually used with tear gass.</p><p>“I’ll check it out…keep working, we need to get these out tonight.” Dr. Ahn frowned but kept working as Bosch left. Bosch could hear the sound of a fight from outside and frowned. “If those idiots started a fight club again on the clock, I’m going to tear their ears off,” he sighed. He moved to open the door only to then have it slam into him as what felt like a battering ram came through. He looked up and stared in shock at the creature before him, which had actually used McConnel—a Shinderdiev—to beat the door in. “What the hell?!”</p><p>It snarled, dropping the unconscious man and advancing on him. He scrabbled up and ran full tilt down the hall. Dr. Ahn jumped up as he rushed into the room and closed the door. “What is it?”</p><p>“Hell if I know! This, this <em>thing</em> barged in and is taking everyone out!” He gasped as he door was pounded on. Dr. Ahn backed up, woging in fear. “…Give me that!” He grabbed the vial on the desk.</p><p>“What are you doing?!”</p><p>“Fighting crazy with crazy!”</p><p>“No, it’s too concentrated!” He tried to grab for him but Bosch shoved him away. He brought the vial up to his nose and breathed in deeply. Dropping it, he choked a bit at the fumes, feeling his brain grow hazy. Dr. Ahn quickly hid under a desk and the others ran for it as well rather than get in the middle of it all. The door burst open and Sloane stepped through but paused when she saw Bosch. He woged, howling and practically foaming at the mouth. When he saw her he roared and leapt at her. Sloane was surprised and moved away, but snarled when his teeth got around her forearm. Snarling back, she clawed at him and they started fighting in the hall. But when they rolled in and knocked the flash and several cannisters over, they started going off and filling the room. Dr. Ahn grabbed the ventilator mask on the table above him and quickly put it on while they others ran around through the door.</p><p>Sloane shoved the rabid blutbad away, panting. He was stronger than she anticipated. She paused though as a sweet, cloyingly strong scent like an industrial cleaner entered her senses. Whining, she shook her head. But it was started to get fuzzy. Not like she was going to pass out, this was different. <em>What’s happening…why…</em>The blutbad went for her again and she backed away. <em>Danger…being attacked…I need…I need…KILL!</em> She roared so deep it shook the room and tacked the blutbad, sinking her teeth into him. He still continued to fight as she did and she shook him like a rag doll. Others who had been exposed tried to come for her but she swiped and snapped and began turning the room into a morgue. Dr. Ahn was shaking and crawled towards the window nearby. Opening it, he managed to pull himself out. A reinigen had flexible bones similar to a rat after all and could squeeze tight spaces. He dropped to the ground and shook, trying to get his heart to calm down and his legs to stop shaking.</p><p>Nick and Hank pulled up to the building, startling him with the siren. He managed to finally stand and rushed towards them. “Help! Help me, please!”</p><p>Nick caught him as he ran up and looked at him. “Sir?”</p><p>He pulled off the mask. “My name is Hyun-Ki Ahn! Please, I’ve been kidnapped!”</p><p>“Dr. Ahn?” Meisner said, stepping out. “We’ve been looking for you.”</p><p>“You have? Well you found me! Please, get me out of here! There’s a monster in there!”</p><p>Nick’s eyes widened and he passed Dr. Ahn to Meisner before rushing for the door. He heard Hank yell for him but didn’t stop. He could hear the carnage from down the hall and rushed towards it. He saw the shadow of the beast shaking someone like a ragdoll in her jaws before tossing them away and the room grew quiet. Taking a breath, he moved to the door. Sloane was standing on all fours, panting. Her dark fur was matted and slick with blood. There were scratches all over her and he was anxious she might be seriously hurt. “Sloane?”</p><p>She turned, and he froze. Her eyes were so contracted they looked like they were only gold. She rumbled, turning towards him. Blood was dripping form her mouth and her claws as she faced him, lips curling back. “Sloane? It’s me—” he shouted when she lunged and moved out the way. “Sloane!” He kicked something and looked down to see the small gas grenade. He could smell something, beneath the blood in the room, that made his hair stand on end. Sloane snarled and head butted him, sending him skidding across the room with a shout. Her claws scraped against the linoleum as she advanced on him while he got his bearings.</p><p>“Stay back, Nick.” He looked to see Meisner in the room. Sloane turned to look as well, jaws snapping with a snarl.</p><p>“What’s going on?!” Nick said, trying to get to his feet.</p><p>“Whatever Juliette did made her like a wesen. Whatever’s effecting them, it’s effecting her. She’s a mindless killing machine now.” Meisner raised his gun.</p><p>Sloane growled and advanced towards him and Nick saw Meisner ready to pull the trigger. “No!” Nick rushed forward and grabbed Sloane around the neck trying to pull her back. Sloane staggered. “Don’t hurt her!”</p><p>“She’s not human anymore Nick!”</p><p>“Yes she is! She’s changed back before, she will again!” He tightened his grip. “Sloane, you have to stop! It’s over, Black Claw is down!”</p><p>She rumbled but then froze as her claws went towards him. Nick looked up at her and he could see she was trying to get herself undercontrol. Her eyes were contracting and dilating and she whined as she backed away and shook her head. Nick kept a hold of her though. Meisner eased slightly, watching in confusion. “It’s okay…you did what you had to do. I understand,” he said gently. “You’re not a mindless killer. You never were. You did what you had to here to save people and defend yourself.”</p><p>The gold started turning green but then went back to being gold. Sloane was trying desperately to reclaim her mind and body but Nick couldn’t see all the people in the room standing, eying her with contempt.</p><p>“You think he’s right, Sloane? Are you trying to do better? Are you worthy of redemption when you leave a sea of bodies wherever you go?” Maria asked.</p><p>Sloane stared at her and then closed her eyes. <em>I had to defend myself!</em></p><p>“Did you?”</p><p><em>Yes! </em>It was a sob in her mind, and she tried to get out of Nick’s hold. To get away. Because even if she thought that, the blood on her was getting on him and she felt sick knowing that whatever she touched she tainted.</p><p>“But you still killed. Why do you still kill, still resist if you think it’s necessary?”</p><p><em>…I don’t know! But I’m sorry…I am…I’m sorry that I wasn’t more careful all these years. That I didn’t listen…I am trying to do better…but I can’t just not fight!</em> She was whining and Nick held on tight. It was like she was trying to talk, but it sounded so scared and forlorn and desperate it broke his heart.</p><p>“Nick, are you sure? Maybe she can’t change back anymore—”</p><p>“I don’t care! I know her, I know she’s not a monster!”</p><p>Sloane felt calmer as he said that. Nick still had faith in her. She knew Rosalee, Monroe and the others did too. She didn't taint them, not really. <em>…I want to do better. Not to be forgiven but to just be better than I was…so that I don’t make these mistakes again but still fight…</em></p><p>She opened her eye and saw Maria…smile. She was confused and then all the people in the room began to fade like mist. Sloane relaxed and Nick was surprised as he pulled back. “Sloane?”</p><p>Sloane shook her head, her vision finally clearing, and looked around. She whined, ears flattening, but Nick smiled and stroked her cheek. “You saved the day I think…It’ll be fine, we’ll figure this out.”</p><p>Sloane sighed as he pressed their heads together, calming completely. Meisner was shocked but finally lowered his gun as well. “…I see you were right again. I’m sorry…”</p><p>Nick sighed. “It’s alright. Just don’t point a gun at her again, <em>ever,</em>” he warned.</p><p>Meisner held up a hand, nodding as he put the safety on and holstered it.</p><p>“Oh my God…” Dr. Ahn said. He was shaking but walking in.</p><p>“It’s okay, she won’t hurt you,” Nick promised.</p><p>“She?” He looked at Sloane who huffed. “A-ah…Ah! We need to get the list!” He rushed over.</p><p>“List?”</p><p>“Dr. Ahn said that a few shipments went out already to other cities. He’s going to get us that information.”</p><p>“I saw Bosch do it dozens of times,” he said, typing the computer. “I posed being asleep over there sometimes to watch,” he gestured at a bed in the corner. He must’ve been kept there a long time. “I was hoping to figure out how to get it to someone who could stop them! They wanted to gas cities during Halloween celebrations! When children are out!” He looked up. “My son, my wife—”</p><p>“We’ll check on them and get you back to them after you get the list,” Meisner said. Dr. Ahn nodded, quickly working.</p><p>“So it worked?”</p><p>Nick paled and looked up to see Eve in the doorway. He felt Sloane tense as well.</p><p>“I told you to wait outside!” Meisner hissed.</p><p>“I wanted to see what happened to Sloane myself…I used several samples of wesen blood. Seems they made something interesting.” Eve regarded the beast in front of her with a detached look.</p><p>Sloane felt her anger flair. <em>You did this to me! You put me through hell and almost killed Nick and the others! </em>She snarled and then rushed, intent on striking her. Nick felt his blood run cold when Eve lifted a hand and that big body froze in midair. Sloane yowled, flailing as she tried to move but unable to get any closer. The sheet from the bed flew off in the same moment, wrapping around her. Sloane fought it, trying to pull it off of her with shaking claws. She yelped as it tightened and flipped her enough she was eye level with Eve.</p><p>“No! Don’t hurt her, please!” Nick said. Eve didn’t acknowledge him, setting her hand on Sloane’s face, over her eyes which were looking fearful and panicked now. Then there was a bright light and Sloane was shot back as if struck. “No!” Nick rushed over to her, his heart hammering away. She was lying on her side, crumpled into a heap, eyes closed. “What did you do?!” Nick said, trying to feel for her pulse through the thick fur around her neck.</p><p>“Give it a moment.”</p><p>Nick glared up at Eve. Then he felt Sloane shudder and looked down again. He watched as the fur began to break and fall away like dust instead of the painful sloughing off before. As it did, Sloane’s human form was revealed again. Nick was shocked and relieved, getting his arms around her and picking her up. All the scratches and blood were also gone, and the sheet was wrapped around her to preserve some modesty. She groaned as he did and her eyes fluttered open. “Nick…?”</p><p>“Hey,” he smiled.</p><p>“…I…I’m human?” she said, flinching and rubbing her forehead. “I…oh god, I did go nuts in here,” she said, looking around.</p><p>“It wasn’t your fault. The gas changed you,” Eve said. Sloane looked up at her and tensed a little. “…I lifted the curse.”</p><p>“…You what?” she asked, surprised.</p><p>“Nick said he would only help us if I lifted your curse. While we stopped Black Claw today, they’ll be planning more. Rest up. Oh, Hank called for backup. You might want to go.” She turned to head away.</p><p>“…I’m not saying thank you,” Sloane said. Eve didn’t even falter and just kept walking.</p><p>Nick helped Sloane to her feet. He looked at Meisner who nodded. “I’ll take care of it from here. When they police come, they’ll find a bunch of dead people and a gas that makes you crazy and see monsters.”</p><p>Nick nodded. “I think we can try and work with that. Call us when you have the next lead.”</p><p>Meisner nodded and Nick walked Sloane outside.</p><p>“Sloane!” Hank rushed over, hugging her. “Oh damn, I was worried there…”</p><p>“So was I,” she smiled tiredly.</p><p>“Eve broke the curse,” Nick said.</p><p>“Really? That’s great!” he said. “How do you feel?”</p><p>“I feel like I was literally put through a ringer, my whole body is sore…Can we go home?” She looked at Nick.</p><p>Nick smiled a little at her saying ‘home’ and nodded. “Yeah…”</p><p>“Go ahead, I’ll just say I got a tip and it was like this when I got here,” Hank nodded.</p><p>“Meisner said to blame the gas. I think we’re going with hallucinogen and domestic terrorism,” Nick said.</p><p>“Not that far from the truth,” Hank sighed. He smiled again and hugged Sloane one more time. “Catch up more later?”</p><p>“Definitely,” she smiled, hugging him back with one arm. The other had to keep the sheet closed.</p><p>Nick drove for the loft quickly and parked in the garage when they got there. Monroe and Rosalee were also there though and got out of their car when they pulled up. “You’re back, thank God!” Rosalee sighed, rushing up. Sloane smiled and hugged her when she came in for one, sighing in relief.</p><p>“We came here figuring you’d be back eventually,” Monroe added.</p><p>“Yeah, sorry I was short earlier…” Nick sighed.</p><p>“It’s okay—Sloane, why are you naked?” Rosalee said, pulling back and realizing.</p><p>“It’s…a long story,” she sighed, righting then sheet around her. “Let me get dressed and we’ll explain, okay?”</p><p>They nodded, heading the elevator.</p><p>----------------------</p><p>Giving bad news to a superior was never a good thing. Giving bad news to a superior who could kill you with a snap of his fingers was worse.</p><p>The poor soul who drew the short straw took a breath before knocking on the door. “Yes?” a smooth voice asked. It was not at all the voice of a man ready to kill at a moments notice, but they new better. He swallowed and opened the door. The room inside was lavish, with a fireplace and a large comfortable wing back chair in red velvet. A pot of Turkish coffee was on the table and the hand that had just poured a cup was taking it to sip.</p><p>“…I…um, sir, there is reports from the “Trick or Treat” division.”</p><p>“Good news?” he said.</p><p>“No…It seems there was a raid of some kind. The production was halted, and those that were already being shipped have been intercepted. They got all the delivery information somehow. Only a few locations got some of the gas and they are also being picked off…What should we do?”</p><p>There was a deep sigh and then a sip, and the cup was set back down on the saucer precisely. “Unfortunate…casualties?”</p><p>“Heavy, from reports. Bosch and his team are all gone. Several other personal at the other locations as well. The media are also claiming it was just a hallucinogen that caused a panic. A prank gone wrong or a domestic threat that was foiled…And Grosvenor is dead. He was found by his assistant in his camper, apparently mauled by an animal.”</p><p>“Hm. Well, no matter,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.</p><p>He blinked, having braced himself when the hand waved. “N…no matter, sir?”</p><p>“Yes. Truthfully, I wasn’t keen on this plan. It was too…inelegant. Forcing woges, attacking random Kehrseite to declare our existence. On <em>Halloween</em>,” he sneered. “Disgusting holiday making fun of what they don’t understand, yes, but too pedestrian. Bosch loved the dramatic, over the top idea of it so I indulged him. A mistake I think. We’ll be moving forward with the original plan. How is Andrew Dixon doing?”</p><p>“Um…” He quickly looked through another file. “He’s up in the polls, sir. People like him.”</p><p>“Good. And Renard has been helping him?”</p><p>“Yessir.”</p><p>“Good. Then things are still according to plan.”</p><p>“I…I’m glad to hear that, sir,” he said in relief. It was more because that meant the messenger wasn’t about to get shot.</p><p>“If that’s all, you may go.”</p><p>“Yessir,” he quickly bowed out, shuddering as he closed the door.</p><p>Inside, the man in the chair steepled his fingers and stared into the fire. “Now…how to convince Renard where his place in this is…”</p><p>-------------------</p><p>Nick woke up when he heard his door open. They’d spent the evening explaining what happened and there were congratulations all around on Sloane being officially cured. They’d had dinner and managed to relax for the first time, fully, in weeks when Sloane was still human when the sun went down. Then it was time for bed and he’d almost thought Sloane was walking towards his room, but she’d quickly course corrected and gone to her own. That was fine, really. He knew it was inevitable. So he was surprised when he turned and saw her in the doorway. “Hey…what’s wrong?”</p><p>“I…um…” she hesitated. “…I know I’m supposedly cured, but…”</p><p>“Did you have a bad dream?”</p><p>“No…I mean…I can’t really sleep is the thing,” she sighed. “I…Can I sleep in here one more night…?” Nick blinked but then nodded, making room on the bed. Sloane was blushing but walked over and climbed in. “Sorry…”</p><p>“Nothing to apologize for,” he said, settling down. “You sure you’re okay? It was a lot today.”</p><p>“…I keep worrying if this is real…” she admitted. “Maybe I’ll wake up to see more blood and guts. Maybe I’ll find out this was the dream and I’m stuck as a beast.”</p><p>Nick sighed in sympathy and then snaked his arm under her. She grunted in surprise but he pulled her close enough she could feel him breathing, feel his heart beating. She blushed but calmed as he held her gently. “It’s real. I promise. I know things may not be completely the same, but your back. And I’m glad to have you.”</p><p>Sloane looked up and smiled before settling down into his hold, resting her cheek on his chest. “Thanks…”</p><p>Nick stroked through her hair for a while, thinking on what Eve said and what he’d admitted, how he’d felt during the whole confrontation at the lab. “…Hey Sloane…I think I…” There was a soft snore and be blinked before looking down. Despite saying she couldn’t sleep; she’d fallen right off when she cuddled up to him. It was definitely real too; she wasn’t faking from how she snored. <em>Guess she feels safe with me…</em>He snorted, having to laugh a little at her timing, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Love you…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'M SO SORRY THIS IS LATE!</p><p>I wanted so badly to have this done by Halloween, but October ended being INSANE. Not in a bad way, just in a busy with with birthdays, house renovations, family stuff, etc. Hope you guys still enjoy the spooky, scary stuff I tried to include! (I got a thing for horror...)</p><p>The quote is from a very beautiful but sad Jewish poem called "The Wolf". It was a bit inspiration for Sloane's transformation to be honest.</p><p>And on a side note...I'm thinking on other pairings here and I'm not sure who to pair Adalind with...Renard, Meisner...Susannah? Thoughts?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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